Prominent baseball player Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers made a statement on Monday on the gambling incident involving his translator’s $4.5 million debt and Ohtani’s money being used to settle with Ippei Mizuhara’s bookmaker. In spite of initial reports suggesting that Ohtani had settled the bills of his longstanding translator because of their friendship, Ohtani later revealed that he had never given the go-ahead for that payment and that Mizuhara had purportedly embezzled millions of dollars from his accounts.
Through a translator on Monday, Ohtani stated, “I never bet on baseball or any otSher sports, and I have never asked somebody to do it on my behalf.” “I have never placed a sports wager through a bookmaker.”
“Until a few days ago, I didn’t know that this was happening,” he said.
“Ippei has been stealing money from my account, and has told lies,” stated Ohtani.
The player clarified that his translator had withheld the media’s question concerning his involvement in sports betting from him when it had been directed to one of his reps.
Ohtani stated, “Ippei told the media and my representatives that I paid off debt on behalf of a friend.” After more interrogation, it was discovered that Ippei was the one who was in debt and had informed my delegates that I was repaying them. And it’s all been a whole fabrication.
Ohtani claimed that during the Dodgers’ opening game of the season, he attended a team meeting and became aware that “there was something amiss.”
Ohtani stated, “Ippei was speaking English, and I didn’t have a translator on my side.” “Yet despite that, I began to sense that something wasn’t right and kind of understood what was happening.”
Mizuhara had requested Ohtani to speak at their hotel following the team meeting, just before that one.
Ohtani remarked, “I was unaware that Ippei was in debt and had a gambling addiction until that team meeting. “And clearly, I never consented to settle the debt or give the bookmaker money.”
Ohtani claimed to have learned of his “huge debt” from his interpreter at the hotel.
Ohtani claimed, “Ippei acknowledged that he was sending money to the bookmaker using my account during that meeting.” ”
It was obvious that what was happening was ridiculous, and at that point I got in touch with my representatives.
That’s when Ohtani went to the Dodgers and his own attorneys, who found out Mitzuhara had been lying to them, too, Ohtani said. Ohtani’s attorneys advised that the situation be reported to the authorities, and they subsequently did so.
Ohtani concluded, saying, “I do want to be clear that I had never bet on sports or had knowingly sent money to the bookmaker.” “I can only express my current state of shock: beyond astonished. Right now, I find it very difficult to put into words how I am feeling.
Ohtani stated that as the season got underway, he intended to let his attorneys handle the situation as the investigations carried on. In addition, he claimed to be “fully assisting in all investigations.”
