In the wake of last week’s incident, baseball player Shohei Ohtani made his first public appearance and claimed that his former interpreter had stolen money from his account to pay an illegal bookmaker. He also denied ever having gambled on sports.
“I never wager on sports other than baseball. That is not something I have ever asked someone to do for me. One of the highest-paid players in professional sports, Ohtani signed a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday. “I never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports,” Ohtani said
All about the circumstances
Mizuhara told ESPN that Ohtani was aware of his gambling debts and, while dissatisfied, decided to pay them off. However, Ohtani’s spokesperson told ESPN that the player was not aware of the gambling.
The scandal broke last Wednesday, when the Dodgers fired Mizuhara while the club was in Seoul, South Korea, for the season opener versus the San Diego Padres. Ohtani claimed he learnt about gambling after the first game of the two-game series.
Source: CTV News
Ohtani stated that the Dodgers convened a meeting in the clubhouse when Mizuhara addressed the entire team. Since Mizuhara talked in English, Ohtani stated that he did not understand the entire speech but thought something was “amiss.” The duo then met one-on-one in the hotel.
According to Ohtani, at the discussion, Mizuhara admitted to accessing the player’s account to pay off the bookmakers.
Ohtani stated that he called his representatives afterward.
“My lawyers recommended that since this is theft and fraud we have the proper authorities handle this matter,” he went on to say.
Investigation
In addition to the MLB’s internal inquiry, the Internal Revenue Service and the United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles began looking into the claims. The federal bodies declined to comment on the situation.
Matthew Bowyer, the alleged gambling organization and bookmaker, is under federal investigation in a case involving former Dodger Yasiel Puig, who is facing various counts.
