On Wednesday night, the Dodgers introduced they’d fired Ippei Mizuhara, who was working as Shohei Ohtani’s private interpreter. Mizuhara has been Ohtani’s pal and interpreter relationship again to earlier than his signing with the Angels in 2017.
Gustavo Arellano, Adam Elmahrek, Nathan Fenno and Paul Pringle of the Los Angeles Instances first reported the information, which comes amidst a probe into an alleged unlawful playing operation in Southern California. Attorneys for Ohtani informed the L.A. Instances that the two-way star “had been the sufferer of a large theft.” Whereas that assertion didn’t specify who had dedicated that alleged theft, the evident implication is that Mizuhara did so.
ESPN’s Tisha Thompson reported that upwards of $4.5MM had been wired from a checking account in Ohtani’s title to the alleged playing ring. Sports activities playing stays unlawful in California. A spokesperson for Ohtani initially informed ESPN that the two-time MVP had wired the cash to repay playing money owed which Mizuhara had accrued. The spokesperson later retracted that and pointed to the attorneys’ assertion regarding theft.
Mizuhara and different sources informed ESPN that Ohtani doesn’t gamble and that the wire transfers lined losses which the interpreter had racked up. An lawyer for Matthew Bowyer, the alleged bookmaker, mentioned in an announcement to ESPN that “Mr. Bowyer by no means met or spoke with Shohei Ohtani.” ESPN studies that Mizuhara had positioned bets with Bowyer on numerous sports activities, not together with baseball, going again to 2021.
On Tuesday, Mizuhara informed ESPN that he’d requested Ohtani to repay his playing money owed. “Clearly, he wasn’t blissful about it and mentioned he would assist me out to verify I by no means do that once more,” Mizuhara had mentioned. “He determined to pay it off for me. I would like everybody to know Shohei had zero involvement in betting. I would like folks to know I didn’t know this was unlawful. I realized my lesson the laborious approach. I’ll by no means do sports activities betting ever once more.” Mizuhara had acknowledged that he and Ohtani despatched a number of wire transfers to the bookmaker in installments; ESPN noticed two transfers at $500K apiece in Ohtani’s title.
Mizuhara disavowed these feedback this afternoon, telling ESPN that Ohtani was unaware of the playing money owed and had not transferred any cash. “Clearly, that is all my fault, all the things I’ve executed. I’m able to face all the results,” he mentioned on Wednesday. He reiterated that he didn’t place any bets on baseball.
For sure, MLB gamers and group staff are prohibited from inserting bets on baseball. They are allowed to position bets on different sports activities, though that clearly solely applies in jurisdictions the place sports activities playing is authorized.
“The Dodgers are conscious of media studies and are gathering data,” the membership mentioned in an announcement. “The group can affirm that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been terminated. The group has no additional remark right now.” An MLB official informed Andy McCullough, Fabian Ardaya, Britt Ghiroli and Sam Blum of the Athletic that Ohtani is just not at present going through self-discipline. A league supply tells ESPN that their subsequent step is to “collect details,” though it’s unclear in the event that they’ll launch an official investigation.