Dodgers’ Dave Roberts Reacts to Shohei Ohtani’s Statement: ‘I Heard Everything I Needed to Hear’
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani addressed the media Monday, his first public comments about the scandal involving his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Ohtani has accused Mizuhara of stealing massive amounts from his bank account, and using it to pay his debts to an alleged sports bookmaker.
Ohtani’s prepared statement confirmed he has never bet on sports, Mizuhara had been stealing money from his bank account and lying to him, and that he did not know about Mizuhara’s gambling addiction and theft until after Mizuhara addressed the team after the Dodgers’ first game in Seoul last week.
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shared his thoughts on Ohtani’s statement later that day, calling his star designated hitter “honest.”
“I think Shohei was very honest in his take of what happened. I know that for me, the organization, we support him. And I got a lot of questions answered as far as what he knew, what he didn’t know. And I’m looking forward to just moving forward and obviously letting the authorities take care of it and just focus on baseball. I was proud of him to sit up and give his take on things.”
“I heard everything I needed to hear. I know the players feel the same way.”
— Dave Roberts, via SportsNet LA
Currently, Ohtani has shared his piece and the issue will be left to law enforcement to investigate for now. Ohtani isn’t facing discipline from Major League Baseball at the moment. He and the Dodgers will work to keep their focus on baseball as the regular season resumes this week.
The Dodgers play their final exhibition game Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels, and will host the St. Louis Cardinals for their home opener on Thursday.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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