The Los Angeles Dodgers terminated the services of Ippei Mizuhara, who had been the trusted interpreter for star Shohei Ohtani throughout his entire MLB career on Wednesday, March 18.
This decision came in the wake of a major gambling scandal surrounding a substantial multimillion-dollar debt.
Ohtani's lawyers have accused his interpreter of being involved in what they describe as a "massive theft" of the player's funds, totalling about $4.5 million.
These funds were then allegedly used to place bets with an illegal bookmaker in California, who is currently under investigation by federal authorities.
Mizuhara spoke with ESPN reporter Tisha Thompson, clarifying that Ohtani wasn't involved in the issue and clearing his name from any association with the scandal.
"I want everyone to know Shohei had zero involvement in betting. I want people to know I did not know this was illegal. I learned my lesson the hard way. I will never do sports betting ever again," the 39-year-old said.
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Conflicting reports about Ohtani's legal team and Mizuhara
Mizuhara began betting on international soccer matches and other sports, excluding baseball, in 2021.
Initially, Mizuhara informed ESPN that the reigning AL MVP had knowingly transferred the funds to help cover his gambling debt, instead of the "theft" stated by his lawyers.
"Obviously, [Ohtani] wasn't happy about it and said he would help me out to make sure I never do this again. He decided to pay it off for me," he said.
However, as the sports outlet was preparing to publish the story, a spokesman for Ohtani retracted the interpreter's account. He stated that the player's legal team would release a statement.
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