''I never bet on baseball or any other sports" - Shohei Ohtani claims to have never gambled on sports amid Ippei Mizuhara investigation
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani denied all allegations against him regarding sports betting on Monday. He said he is totally against the idea of betting.
“I have never bet on baseball or any other sports or never have asked somebody to do it on my behalf, and I have never went to a bookmaker to bet on sports,” Shohei Ohtani said with the help of translator Will Ireton.
Ohtani’s previous personal translator, Ippei Mizuhara, was fired last week after Ohtani's lawyers accused him of the theft of millions of dollars after placing multiple bets with a bookmaker.
"I’m very saddened and shocked that someone who I trusted has done this," Ohtani said.
This scandal took a major turn when Ohtani and his team denied the allegations that he helped Ippei pay off his debts.
"Last weekend in Korea, media had reached out to a representative in my camp inquiring about my potential involvement in this sports betting," Ohtani said. "So, Ippei never revealed to me that there was this media inquiry, and to the representatives in my camp he told, Ippei told, that I, on behalf of a friend, paid off debt."
Ohtani and the Dodgers did not provide further details.
"Obviously, today, there's things that I'm limited in being able to talk about," Ohtani said. "I hope you understand. I do have a document in front of me that I will refer to that will detail what has happened."
The MLB has started its investigation into the matter.
No further information disclosed regarding the scandal
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s representatives are facing questions regarding the recent controversy, but they have not disclosed any further information.
“We are turning the matter over to the authorities,” Ohtani's representatives said last week, according to The Guardian.
The Department of Homeland Security and the IRS Criminal Investigation's Los Angeles office have started an investigation into the matter, according to the Daily Mail.