Shohei Ohtani Addresses His Involvement in the Gambling Situation of His Interpreter Mizuhara

Ohtani had not made any public comments to the media about the alleged illegal gambling of his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara until now. Today at 2:45 p.m. PT the current Dodger 2-way player spoke out about his involvement and knowledge of what was taking place with Mizuhara.

With his new interpreter, Will Ireton, Ohtani warmly greeted the media at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA, expressing gratitude for their patience in hearing his perspective on the matter.

Ohtani, “I’m very saddened and shocked that someone whom I’ve trusted has done this.”

Ohtani expressed limitations on what he could discuss and indicated that he would address the issue from a prepared document, providing detailed thoughts on the matter.

That being said, Ohtani stated that he has never bet on baseball or any other sports, nor has he asked someone to do it on his behalf. He also mentioned that he has never gone to a bookmaker to bet on sports.

Ippe Has Stolen Money & Told Lies

He made additional remarks, alleging that Ippe had embezzled funds from his account and had been dishonest. Ohtani also asserted that Ippe had failed to inform him or any of his associates about the media’s inquiries concerning the gambling issue. Ohtani stated that Ippe had informed the media and Ohtani‘s associates that Ohtani had settled a debt for a friend, insinuating that Ohtani had been covering Ippe‘s gambling debt.

Ohtani’s Knowledge of the Situation

Ohtani says he first learned of Ippe’s gambling after the first game when they had a team meeting in the clubhouse (in Seol, Korea).

He stands firm that he never agreed to pay off Ippe‘s debt or make payments to the bookie.

To view and listen to the full press conference visit SpectrumSportsNet.

Questions and Further Thoughts on Ohtani and the Gambling Debt Case

Let’s Cut to the Chase

• How did Ippe manage to get into Ohtani’s account to transfer money and pay off his debt?
• Didn’t Ohtani make sure to regularly check his account just to keep up with what was happening?
• Didn’t the people managing his account alert him? Is he not the one keeping track of his money?

Not sure we have the full story as of yet. Some T’s need to be crossed and I’s still need to be dotted.