Baseball
Shohei Ohtani Addresses Gambling Accusations Involving His Interpreter
by privatebet.com - 2024/03/26
The MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani found himself in hot water this past week, after being caught in a major scandal involving his interpreter’s gambling debts. The Los Angeles Dodgers player finally addressed the controversy and accused Ippei Mizuhara of lying and stealing his money. All hell broke loose after ESPN reported that the two-time MVP sent wire transfers to the bookmaker to cover Mizuhara’s gambling debts worth $4.5 million. Ohtani’s long-time interpreter later said that the MLB star wasn’t aware of his debts, while his lawyers accused Mizuhara of massive theft. After days of silence, Ohtani finally addressed the controversy at a press conference on Monday. The Japanese baseball star said he’s “very saddened and shocked” that someone close to him has done this and added he never participated in sports gambling. “[I am] beyond shocked, it’s hard to verbalize how I am feeling at this point… I never bet on baseball or any other sports or never have asked somebody to do it on my behalf and I have never gone through a bookmaker to bet on sports,” Ohtani told reporters. This scandal overshadowed the start of Ohtani's first year with the Dodgers after he signed a record ten-year deal worth $700 million in December. Ippei Mizuhara was his personal interpreter for over a decade and was promptly fired by the Dodgers following his gambling scandal.