Shohei Ohtani Says He Never Bet on Sports, Was Unaware of Mizuhara’s Habits

Shohei Ohtani, a professional baseball pitcher currently playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, commented on the recent controversy involving his interpreter and friend, Ippei Mizuhara. For reference, the latter man was recently fired amid a serious gambling offense.

Ohtani’s longtime interpreter and friend was accused of transferring a whopping $4.5 million from the baseball star’s bank account to Mathew Bowyer, a Southern Californian bookmaker. While Mizuhara’s initial statement suggested that this transfer was Ohtani helping him cover his significant gambling debts, a later statement indicated that the baseball pro might have been a victim of a huge theft.

The South Californian bookmaker and Mizuhara are currently being investigated.

A few days later, during a news conference at Dodger Stadium, Ohtani commented on the matter, claiming that he was fully unaware of Mizuhara’s gambling. The conference took place just before the Los Angeles Dodgers’ second exhibition game against the Los Angeles Angels.

Ohtani Was Unpleasantly Surprised to Learn of Mizuhara’s Actions

During the conference, Ohtani said that he was saddened and shocked to learn of what Mizuhara did. The former man alleged that his interpreter had been stealing money and telling lies. Ohtani added that he has never wagered on sports or knowingly sent money to a bookmaker.

While the Dodgers player did not disclose details on how the money could have been stolen, he reiterated that he has never wagered or asked someone to wager on his behalf. According to his statement, he was never asked to provide betting money to someone either.

Ohtani added that he first became aware of Mizuhara’s gambling problems during a recent team meeting. It was then that the baseball pro learned of his longtime friend’s addiction and was told that Mizuhara had been using his bank account to send money to the bookmaker.

As it turns out, Mizuhara also kept Ohtani off the loop and didn’t properly communicate the news about the media inquiry to him.

Ohtani concluded that he is just “beyond shocked” and finds it really hard to explain how exactly he is feeling. Despite that, he vowed to assist in all ongoing investigations.