Dodgers Reportedly Fire Shohei Ohtani’s Interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, Following Theft Allegations
The Los Angeles Dodgers have fired Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, on Wednesday, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Mizuhara was accused by Ohtani’s representatives of “massive theft” by using Ohtani’s money to place sports bets with an allegedly illegal sports gambling operation.
According to The Times, the amount of money he spent was in the millions of dollars. ESPN reports that it was at least $4.5 million.
The West Hollywood law firm Berk Brettler released this 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.”
Ohtani and Mizuhara are currently in Korea for the Seoul Series between the Dodgers and Padres. Mizuhara has been Ohtani’s interpreter since he joined Major League Baseball in 2017 with the Angels.
ESPN’s report says Ohtani knew about the funds, and that he was helping Mizuhara cover the debt.
They also made it clear Ohtani is not a bettor, and these payments were for Mizuhara, not Ohtani.
“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.”
Via ESPN
However, on Wednesday, Mizuhara retracted his statement:
“But on Wednesday afternoon, Mizuhara told ESPN that Ohtani had no knowledge of his gambling debts and that Ohtani had not transferred money to the bookmaker’s associate.”
Via ESPN
According to The Athletic, which cited an unnamed MLB official, Ohtani is not currently facing discipline from the league.
Interpreters are typically written into the contract between a Japanese-speaking player and his MLB team. Mizuhara was employed directly by the Angels, and briefly the Dodgers, rather than Ohtani himself.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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