In Photos: Shohei Ohtani's furry friend Decoy steals the spotlight with namesake wine bottles
Before being embroiled in a much-publicized controversy, Shohei Ohtani captured the hearts of the masses during his heartfelt parting message to the Los Angeles Angels organization.
On the same day, Ohtani was interviewed about winning his second MVP award. That was when "Baseball's Unicorn" introduced the world to his then-unnamed furry friend whose name would eventually be revealed as Decoy.
In a recent Instagram story, the now-Dodgers superstar shared photos of the cute canine posing with a wine brand that is the dog's namesake.
The wine, Decoy, was produced in a vineyard with the same name by The Duckhorn Portfolio Inc., which is based in St. Helena, California.
Given how adorable Shohei Ohtani's furry buddy is, it is fairly easy to say that it might land more endorsement deals in the future.
Shohei Ohtani absolved, Ippei Mizuhara charged
After a long investigation, the United States Department of Justice absolved LA Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani from any charges in relation to his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara's betting allegations.
At the time of writing, the DOJ has just handed Ippei Mizuhara federal bank fraud charges after the interpreter stole more than $16 million from the Dodgers superstar and spent it on sports betting. If proven guilty of the charge, Mizuhara can face up to 30 years in prison.
According to a press release by the Department of Justice, Mizuhara helped Ohtani set up the bank account to receive the latter's salary from his playing contract.
The translator, however, used the freedom given to him by Ohtani and swapped out the confirmation email needed for transfers to go through. Mizuhara also allegedly called the bank and deceived its employees, impersonating Ohtani to authorize money transfers.
Different sides of the baseball sphere have voiced their opinions about the issue. Some empathize with Ohtani after being deceived by Mizuhara. However, others claim that the translator was the designated fall guy.
Per the latest development from the DOJ, Ohtani didn't know about the dark dealings by Mizuhara, and the allegations against the baseball star can be put to rest.