Although the Los Angeles Dodgers are just days away from Opening Day at Dodger Stadium, the current focus surrounding the team is largely on Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.
Representatives for Ohtani claim Mizuhara is responsible for stealing millions of dollars from the superstar to pay off gambling debts. However, the story has been changed multiple times related to Ohtani’s knowledge of Mizuhara’s gambling.
In ESPN’s detailed reporting, an Ohtani spokesperson said he had paid to cover Mizuhara’s gambling debts. That was initially corroborated by Mizuhara, but he then recanted and said Ohtani was not aware of his betting activity or debts.
Ohtani’s representatives also changed their stance and refuted the notion that the two-way superstar had provided financial assistance to Mizuhara for his gambling debt.
While Mizuhara has been discussing the matter, Ohtani has not yet spoken out, but the plan is for him to speak on Monday about the accusations and share his side of the story. The decision was made by Ohtani, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
“I think it’s good,” Roberts said. “I think it’s the right thing to do. I’m happy he’s going to speak to what he knows and give his thoughts on the whole situation. I think it will give us all a little bit more clarity.”
The Dodgers fired Mizuhara on Wednesday, and he is now under criminal investigation by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) while MLB is conducting their own investigation.
The Dodgers have also remained mostly quiet so far, releasing just one statement to confirm the firing of Mizuhara and saying they have no further comment.
After the Dodgers’ season-opening game on Wednesday, Mizuhara addressed the clubhouse to take full responsibility and clear Ohtani’s name. However, Ohtani has not yet addressed the clubhouse.
“I think he’s had one-off conversations with players, but as far as the overall, address the whole group, we haven’t done that,” Roberts said.
Amid MLB’s investigation, Ohtani will remain on the Dodgers’ roster. It is not believed he made any bets or gambled, and he currently appears to be the victim of the situation.
“I just kind of checked in on him to see how he’s doing,” Roberts said. “Everything that I’ve seen, he’s kind of business as usual. So I’m really looking forward to his addressing everyone.”
Shohei Ohtani against gambling
Mizuhara has given several accounts of his purported gambling, but he was adamant about Ohtani never placing a bet and that the two-way superstar is fully against the concept of it.
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