Baseball’s biggest star finds himself in the middle of a huge scandal. The Los Angeles Dodgers have parted ways with Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend after the player’s attorneys alleged “massive theft” from the Japanese baseball star in a case tied to sports gambling.
The Dodgers said in a statement Wednesday that Ippei Mizuhara, who has been a constant fixture at Ohtani’s side since the two-way star’s move to the U.S., was no longer working with the organization.
“The Dodgers are aware of media reports and are gathering information. The team can confirm that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been terminated. The team has no further comment at this time,” the statement said. It followed reports from The Los Angeles Times and ESPN.
Law firm Berk Brettler LLP, representation for Ohtani, said in a statement: “In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft and we are turning the matter over to the authorities.”
ESPN reported Wednesday night, citing a plethora of unnamed sources, that Mizuhara’s firing came after media questions pertaining to his alleged ties to illegal gambling. ESPN reported that the allegations centered around wire transfers from Ohtani’s account worth at least $4.5 million, allegedly paid to a bookmaking operation in Southern California which is under federal investigation.
NBC News has not independently confirmed those details.
ESPN reported that a spokesman for Ohtani initially stated that the player had knowingly transferred the cash to cover the gambling debt of Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-term friend and associate.
The same spokesman put together a 90-minute interview between Mizuhara and ESPN on Tuesday night, where Mizuhara explained his side of the story.
He told ESPN that he had sustained the debts betting on a number of different sports, such as, the NBA, the NFL, college football and international soccer but never on baseball, which is outlawed by MLB rules.
“Obviously, he [Ohtani] wasn’t happy about it and said he would help me out to make sure I never do this again,” Mizuhara said. “He decided to pay it off for me.”
“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,” he told ESPN.
However, ESPN said that as it prepared to publish its story Wednesday, the spokesman for Ohtani denied Mizuhara’s account and said the player’s lawyers would issue a statement.
ESPN reported that Mizuhara then did an about face on Wednesday, saying that Ohtani, in fact had no knowledge of his gambling debts and Ohtani had not transferred any money to the bookmaker’s associate. ESPN reported that Mizuhara said he had been told not to comment on whether he had been accused of theft by Ohtani but declined to say by whom.
NBC News has contacted the Dodgers, representatives for Ohtani and Mizuhara overnight seeking further comment.
Mizuhara has worked with Ohtani since his major league debut with the Los Angeles Angels in 2018.
After working with the Boston Red Sox as an interpreter, he met Ohtani after returning to Japan in 2013. When Ohtani signed with the Angels in 2017, the team brought Mizuhara on board to work as his personal interpreter. ESPN reported that Mizuhara told the outlet he had been paid a salary between $300,000 and $500,000 yearly.
It has already been a chaotic week for Ohtani, 29, who has become the face of MLB’s efforts to build its brand in Asia and across the world and one of the sport’s leading stars.
He has been welcomed by droves of adoring fans at the Dodger’s season-opening series in Seoul, despite South Korea’s long-standing rivalry with Ohtani’s native Japan. Authorities investigated a bomb threat against the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, where the Dodgers were playing the San Diego Padres.
Ohtani became one of the hottest names in global sports after joining the Dodgers in December in a 10-year deal worth $700 million, the largest in baseball history. He recently announced his surprise marriage, tying the knot on February 29, and subsequently shared the identity of his new bride on social media after drawing huge interest from fans and media alike.
Back on the field of play, Ohtani’s two hits helped the Dodgers beat the Padres 5-2 in Wednesday’s season opener in Seoul, in his debut for the team.
At a news conference on Thursday ahead of the second Dodgers vs Padres matchup, Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts would not comment on the case but said Ohtani would play as normal.
“Shohei’s ready,” he said. “Ready to go for tonight’s game.”
Sports gambling is a skyrocketing industry, growing in popularity with every passing day in the U.S., where 38 states and the District of Columbia now allow some form of it and sports from the NFL to the MLB have increasingly embraced its lucrative potential. But it remains illegal in California, and carries steep penalties for players who violate league policies on gambling.
The MLB’s regulations and policy are posted in every locker room. It prohibits all players and team employees from wagering, even legally, on baseball and bans betting on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers.
Betting on baseball carries a one-year ban from the sport, while the penalty for betting on other sports illegally is at the discretion of the commissioner, in this case, Rob Manfred.
