Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani has found himself embroiled in a major gambling scandal just a couple games into his career with the team.
It was last week that the Dodgers fired his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara for allegedly stealing millions from the reigning AL MVP to cover a gambling debt.
This story was breaking as Ohtania and his Dodgers took to South Korea to take on the division-rival San Diego Padres. Since then, a ton more information has come out.
For his part, the $700 million star had not spoken to media about the scandal. That changed on Monday with Ohtani reading a prepared statement in a session with media.
“On a personal note, I’m very sad and shocked that someone who I trusted has done this,” Ohtani told reporters. “Up until a few days ago i didn’t know this was happening. In conclusion, Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has told lies.”
Ohtani, 29, has not been implicated in the scandal. Though, MLB did announce that it has launched an investigation into the situation. Ohtani confirmed that he believes more investigations will take place.
“I’m looking forward to focusing on the season. I’m glad that we had this opportunity to talk, and I’m sure there will be continuing investigations moving forward,” Shohei Ohtani said.
Shohei Ohtani denies involvement in gambling scandal
The Japanese star also made it clear that he had no knowledge of Mizuhara’s gambling issues and alleged illegal doings.
“I never agreed to pay off the debt or make payments to the bookmaker,” Ohtani said. “My lawyers confirmed that since this is fraud, we have the proper authorities handle this matter.”
Ohtani is in the Dodgers’ lineup Monday against his former Los Angeles Angels team. While MLB is conducting an investigation, it sure doesn’t look like the star is going to be implicated in any wrongdong.
We’ll find out soon enough. For now, Ohtani opted to go public with a statement. That’s unlikely to change the dynamics as this scandal continues to grow with the MLB regular season getting going later in the week.