Monday will be the first time Shohei Ohtani will address the illegal gambling and theft allegations against his former interpreter and friend Ippei Mizuhara, and will likely provide his teammates with insight for the first time.
The Dodgers star hasn’t spoken to the team as a whole since the news broke last Wednesday, manager Dave Roberts told reporters Sunday, though he said he may have had one-on-one conversations. Stated.
“I think he had a one-time conversation with the players,” Roberts said. According to the Associated Press.
But the Dodgers manager welcomes the opportunity for Ohtani to address what’s going on, which has turned the baseball world upside down.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Roberts said. Per ESPN. “I’m glad he’s speaking what he knows and giving his thoughts on the whole situation. I think that will give us all a little more clarity.”
Although Otani has not been charged with gambling, his involvement in the Mizuwon matter still raises some concerns and at least some confusion.
Ohtani’s name came up during the same U.S. attorney’s office investigation into an illegal bookbinding operation allegedly run by Matthew Bowyer.
What you need to know about Shohei Otani’s accusations against his former interpreter
A lawyer representing Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has accused former interpreter and longtime friend Ippei Mizuhara of “grand theft” in connection with a $4.5 million bombing.
After signing a 10-year, $700 million contract this offseason with the Angels, the two-time AL MVP reportedly had huge gambling debts that needed to be repaid.
Mizuhara initially said ESPN Ohtani had offered to repay his debt, but later changed his story and claimed he had no knowledge of the 8-9 wire transfer from Ohtani’s account to an alleged illegal bookmaker.
According to ESPN, the Ohtani camp “denied” Mizuhara’s initial story.
Ohtani was fired shortly after the Dodgers’ season opener against the Padres in Seoul, South Korea, and although Ohtani’s camp is seeking a law enforcement investigation following an investigation by the National Tax Agency, Ohtani has not yet spoken publicly about the situation. .
“I’ve never bet on baseball,” Mizuhara told ESPN. “That’s 100 percent. I knew that rule. … We’re going to have a meeting in spring training about it.”
Both sides maintain that Ohtani is not involved in any gambling.
read more
Mizuhara initially told ESPN that Ohtani was aware of wire transfers from his account to the operator to pay off Mizuhara’s debts, but an interpreter later retracted his statement and told Ohtani’s spokesperson also denied comment.
Later, the law firm representing Ohtani claimed that the star player was “the victim of grand theft” at the hands of Mizuhara.
Major League Baseball has begun investigating the situation, and Ohtani is expected to be available to play while the investigation continues.
