'BEYOND SHOCKED'
‘I didn’t know’ Shohei Ohtani insists at press conference as Dodgers star addresses interpreter ‘gambling & theft’ claim
The pair had been close since 2018
DODGERS star Shohei Ohtani has branded his fired interpreter a liar while insisting that he had no role in any illegal gambling.
Ohtani addressed the controversy around Ippei Mizuhara for the first time on Monday, five days after the Dodgers fired Mizuhara.
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Mizuhara was sacked last week after Ohtani's representatives found that the MLB two-way star was the "victim of a massive theft."
The scandal was first reported by ESPN and The Los Angeles Times.
Some of the allegations against Mizuhara involve wire transfers from Ohtani's accounts which ran up to at least $4.5 million.
Mizuhara also admitted to taking part in gambling and allegedly has ties to an illegal bookmaker.
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MLB bars players and employees from betting on baseball and they're prohibited from wagering on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers.
On Monday, Ohtani took part in a Dodgers press conference and spoke for 12 minutes about the ordeal.
To summarize how I am feeling right now, I am beyond shocked. It’s really hard to verbalize how I am feeling at this point."
Shohei Ohtani
He was with a new interpreter, Will Ireton, a Dodgers employee, who revealed that the MLB star said in Japanese, "I'm very saddened and shocked who I trusted has done this."
Ohtani said that he has "never bet on sports or asked someone to do that on my behalf."
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The 28-year-old added that Mizuhara "has been stealing from my account and has told lies."
"Up until a couple days ago, I didn’t know this was happening," Ohtani said in Japanese.
"To summarize how I am feeling right now, I am beyond shocked.
"It’s really hard to verbalize how I am feeling at this point."
'A COMPLETE LIE'
Ohtani said he found out at a team meeting after the MLB team's first game in South Korea last week that Mizuhara admitted to using money from the MLB star's account to gamble on sports.
Ohtani also denied claims from Mizuhura, who told ESPN that Ohtani paid his debts off at the interpreter's request.
ESPN said Mizuhara changed his story the next day, and he said Ohtani didn't have knowledge of the gambling debts and didn't transfer any money to bookmakers.
Ohtani reiterated several times on Monday that he has never bet on sports and didn't knowingly pay off Mizuhara's gambling debts.
"All of this has been a complete lie," Ohtani said.
“Ippei obviously basically didn’t tell me about the media inquiry.
"So Ippei has been telling everyone around that he has been communicating with me on this account to the media and my team, and that hasn’t been true."
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Federal authorities launched a criminal investigation into Mizuhara and the alleged illegal bookmaker while the MLB conducts its own internal investigation.
OHTANI'S JOURNEY TO THE DODGERS
Ohtani joined the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League in 2013.
Mizuhara was the team's interpreter and became close with Ohtani.
Once Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Angels in 2017, he brought Mizuhara along for the ride.
They were close friends and daily companions with Mizuhara serving as Ohtani's interpreter while he was with the Angels from 2018 to 2022.
Ohtani won two MVPs as a pitcher and a hitter during his Angels tenure.
He left the Angels to sign a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in the offseason.
Mizuhara continued to be Ohtani's translator all the way through the Dodgers' game against the San Diego Padres in Seoul last Wednesday.
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It wasn't clear on Monday if Mizuhara had an attorney to speak on his behalf, or if he returned to the United States after the trip to Seoul.
Ohtani and the Dodgers will begin the MLB season at home against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.