Dodgers’ Ohtani Claims He Was Tricked by Ex-Interpreter

Summary:

• MLB’s greatest star, Shohei Ohtani, gave a press release on his interpreter’s gambling addiction issues.
• Dodger’s Ohtani claimed he had zero knowledge of his gambling habits of gambling with illegal sportsbooks.
• The player stated he was completely blindsided by the gambling allegations.

On Monday afternoon, Major League Baseball’s star Shohei Ohtani held a 12-minute press conference (video below) in front of a large crowd of reporters at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers player calmly explained that he had never bet on sports and was tricked by his now-former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, who allegedly dragged him into a gambling scandal without his knowledge or involvement.

“I Never Went Through a Bookmaker”

The player made sure to emphasize that he had zero links to Mizuhara’s gambling addiction. The latter racked up a minimum of $4,5 million in sports betting with an allegedly illegal sportsbook – we at LegitGambling only look for the legal sportsbooks for you.

“I’ve never bet on baseball or any other sport” he explained, adding that he also never asked anyone to wager on his behalf or went through a bookmaker to begin with.

The player only understands basic English and his English speaking abilities are limited. He explained that he was completely clueless about Mizuhara’s gambling problem and about the fact he withdrew money out of his account.

Ohtani said that he only learned about the issue when Mizuhara informed the club and its players last week, during a team meeting.

Up until then, the player who inked a $700 million contract with the Dodgers for a whole decade, claimed that he had no idea that “Ippei had a gambling addiction and was in debt”

“I’m beyond shocked“, he added, saying it was hard to express the way he was feeling.

While refusing to answer any press questions, he explained that he would fully cooperate with federal and MLB investigators and that he did not wish to address the problem again until the end of the investigation.

“I Never Agreed to Pay Off the Debt”

Shohei Ohtani also made it clear that he never met or interacted with Mathew Bowyer, who is the target of the current federal investigation on allegations of running an illegal sportsbook operation in Southern California.

The player further explained he “never agreed to pay off the debt, or make payments to the bookmaker”

The player, who also considered Mizuhara his best friend who acted like his manager, explained he never permitted him to pull out funds from his account to take care of his gambling debt.

Ohtani is now accusing Mizuhara of telling lies, stealing, and committing fraud.

The Dodgers expect Ohtani’s statement to offer the necessary clarity and convey a clear message that the focus of the investigation is Mizuhara and not their valuable player.

Late Friday, MLB announced they would also launch their own investigation into the matter.