Shohei Ohtani's longtime translator has been fired after being accused of stealing allegedly worth millions of dollars from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Otani's lawyers reportedly argued that Ippei Mizuhara used the two-way genius's funds to place bets with illegal bookmaker Matthew Bowyer, who is currently under federal investigation.
Dodgers spokesperson told the Times Immediately after news broke that Mr. Mizuhara had been fired.
From the Times:
“In the course of responding to recent media interviews, we discovered that Shohei was the victim of a grand theft and have decided to refer this matter to authorities,” West Hollywood law firm Burke Buttler said in a statement. said.
Mizuhara was working in South Korea until last night, serving as an interpreter for Ohtani after the Dodgers opened the MLB season with a 5-2 win over the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers will likely consider replacing Mizuhara internally with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who has used his own Japanese interpreter since signing with the team.
Ohtani's interpreter says the Dodgers star paid off $4.5 million in gambling debts, but then things went awry.
A subsequent ESPN report revealed more of the behind-the-scenes situation, but also raised more questions.
Ohtani's camp brought Mizuhara to an interview in South Korea on Tuesday night, reportedly claiming that Mizuhara had agreed to repay at least $4.5 million in gambling debts he incurred last year. Mr. Mizuhara claimed that he placed bets through DraftKings before meeting Mr. Bowyer and said he believed that Mr. Bowyer was a legitimate bookmaker.
From ESPN:
“I'm terrible [at gambling.] I will never do that again. “I never won any money, so I dug a hole for myself and the hole kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger bets had to be made to get out of it. We just kept losing,” Mizuhara said. It's like a snowball effect. ”
Presumably, Otani was unhappy when he learned of the debt, but instead of giving the money to Mizuhara, he agreed to pay Bowyer's associates himself. This payment was supposed to be a loan to Mizuhara, who was reportedly earning between $300,000 and $500,000 a year under Ohtani, and the telegram description does not include the word “loan.” Ta.
However, when asked about the account, Mizuhara's camp reportedly denied it, with Mizuhara telling ESPN the next day that Otani knew nothing about the gambling debt and did not send the money. Told. At issue are claims that Ohtani was directly involved in the payments, which led to the involvement of his legal team.
When an ESPN reporter asked the Otani camp about Mr. Mizuhara's claim that Otani was present, assisted in the transfer of funds, and was planning to repay the money, a spokesperson contacted Otani's lawyer and said that Otani was not involved in the incident. “I am a victim of this,” he said in a statement. Massive theft. ”
ESPN reports that starting in 2021, Bowyer worked directly with Mizuhara, who allegedly bet on soccer and other sports (but not baseball). Mr. Bowyer's lawyer said he had never spoken to or met Mr. Ohtani. MLB players are allowed to bet on other sports, but not with illegal bookmakers.
“I've never bet on baseball,” Mizuhara said. “That's 100 percent. I knew the rules. … We'll have a meeting about it in spring training.”
Mizuhara reportedly spoke at the Dodgers' clubhouse in South Korea on Wednesday and told the team that he has a gambling problem and that the story is coming out and that it's all his fault. .
Ippei Mizuhara is more than an interpreter for Shohei Otani
This development is shocking to those who have observed Ohtani up close. Mizuhara has served as Ohtani's translator since his rookie year with the Los Angeles Angels in 2018, and his tenure as a friend is even longer. The two first met in 2013 when Otani joined the Nippon-Ham Fighters and Mizuhara worked as an interpreter for English-speaking players.
Mizuhara followed Ohtani to the United States, becoming his personal translator and a close advisor to Ohtani, who became the most famous baseball player on the planet. He also served as Otani's catcher in the 2021 Home Run Derby. Mizuhara has been Ohtani's spokesperson in public and his best friend since arriving in the United States.
Ohtani brought Mizuhara with him when he signed a record-breaking $700 million contract with the Dodgers in the offseason. This is the largest known contract in sports history. Ohtani is also the richest player in MLB when it comes to sponsorship deals, as Sportico estimates his annual income is $65 million. This number is more than the rest of the top 15 players combined, with Bryce Harper in second place with his $7 million.
The past few months have been eventful for Ohtani outside of baseball. He announced his surprise marriage just last month, and a few days ago his wife's identity was revealed to be former basketball player Mamiko Tanaka. He also became a hot topic for adopting a dog named Dekopin.
