As questions linger over the status of Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has announced that he hopes to have a positive impact on the baseball superstar’s connection with his new teammates. An attempt was made to change the overall direction in a positive direction.
Mizuhara was Ohtani’s closest friend in the U.S. until the Dodgers fired him last week after the Japanese star’s camp claimed the interpreter stole millions from Ohtani to cover gambling debts. He was one of the
Will Ireton replaced Mizuhara as Ohtani’s translator, but instead of standing by a two-way player like Mizuhara, manager Roberts saw this as an opportunity to build a relationship between Ohtani and Dodgers officials. ing.
“In fact, I would argue that it will lead to better relations domestically,” Roberts told reporters in Anaheim on Tuesday. according toah Associated Press. “Because the buffer is gone. I feel like we’ve already seen it in the last few days. I think Shohei is engaging more actively with his teammates, and I think that can only be positive.”
Teammates and opponents have said in the past that Ohtani understands English, and Roberts suggested people would be “surprised” to learn how much English he knows.
The Dodgers manager also said he had already seen Ohtani trying to push himself out of his comfort zone over the past few days.
The Japanese star read a prepared statement to reporters on Monday, addressing the controversy for the first time, in which he also said he had bet on sports and that he owed money to suspected illegal bookmaker Matthew Bowyer. He also denied that he had transferred funds to activities to compensate. Mr. Mizuhara.
The bizarre story was first reported last Wednesday when the Los Angeles Times and ESPN published reports.
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 the debt, but later changed his story and claimed he had no knowledge of the Eight-Nine wire transfer from Ohtani’s account to the alleged illegal bookmaker.
According to ESPN, the Ohtani camp “denied” Mizuhara’s initial story.
He was fired shortly after the Dodgers’ season opener against the Padres in Seoul, South Korea, and while 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
The situation surrounding Mizuhara, in a 90-minute interview with ESPN, claimed that Ohtani knew that money had been sent in his name to an illegal bookbinding company allegedly run by Matthew Bowyer. Things got especially weird after the two later retracted their comments, with a spokesperson for the Dodgers star “disavowing” them.
Mr. Ohatoni’s lawyer issued a statement saying he was a “victim of grand theft” and would refer the matter to the appropriate authorities. Ohtani’s agent declined to speak to ESPN. The media reported on Tuesday night to which authorities the alleged theft was reported.
ESPN reported that a spokesperson for Ohtani declined to comment and could not confirm that the Ohtani camp had contacted any local, state or federal agency that could investigate the theft.
Ohtani, who played in Tuesday’s spring training game, returned to Anaheim for the first time since signing with the Dodgers after leaving the Angels in free agency this winter.
The former Angels star received a standing ovation and a video tribute from the organization Tuesday night.
He went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts in the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss to the Angels.
