- This will be the first time that Ohtani speaks to the media after the scandal broke out.
- Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers while the team was playing in South Korea
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Los Angeles Dodgers star outfielder Shohei Ohtani will speak to the media on Monday for the first time since the team fired interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.
Mizuhara has been accused of using $4.5 million of Ohtani’s money to pay off gambling debts.
After initially claiming that Ohtani gave him the money to improve his situation, the baseball star’s representatives described the events as a “massive theft.”
The latest developments in this story find that Mizuhara lied about attending the University of California, Riverside, and also made up that he worked with former Boston Red Sox player Hideki Okajima.
The Red Sox even went so far as to send a statement to members of the media, stating: ‘Mizuhara was never employed by the Boston Red Sox in any capacity and was not an interpreter for Hideki Okajima during the pitcher’s time with the team. Please note that we have carefully reviewed our files to ensure that we provide accurate information.
Dodgers star outfielder Shohei Ohtani has confirmed that he will speak to the media on Monday.
It is the first time that Ohtani will speak to the press after the dismissal of translator Ippei Mizuhara
Photographs taken of Okajima during his five years with the Red Sox show people other than Mizuhara serving as interpreters for the relief pitcher.
Work histories contained in team media guides are typically not scrutinized, according to The Athletic. Instead, teams trust employees not to mislead the press about their previous positions.
Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday amid questions about at least $4.5 million in suspicious wire transfers from Ohtani’s bank to an illegal gambling operation in California that ESPN reports is under federal investigation. Unlike many states, California has not yet legalized sports betting.
At the time, the Dodgers were playing the San Diego Padres in South Korea in the opening series of the Major League Baseball season.
Spokespeople for Ohtani initially told ESPN that the 29-year-old was helping Mizuhara cover huge gambling debts. But later – after the performer spoke to ESPN about the allegations – Ohtani’s representatives disavowed his comments and offered a statement from the Dodgers star’s lawyers:
“In 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 authorities,” read the statement from Ohtani’s law firm, Berk Brettler LLP.
Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizzuhara are seen leaving a press conference in Seoul last week.
Ohtani’s lawyers did not openly accuse Mizuhara of stealing from the slugger, but the Los Angeles Times reports that the performer is accused of swindling millions from the star.
“At first, it was a friend with a gambling problem and Ohtani bailed him out, which is very credible to help a friend, as had been made public,” Craig Carton told the New York Post.
“When they came back to it and said the money had been stolen, they opened Pandora’s box and now they have to really trust this interpreter.”
Additionally, Ohtani’s representatives have denied that the Dodgers star is involved in illegal betting, insisting that he had no knowledge of Mizuhara’s gambling problem.
According to the Associated Press, the IRS is investigating Mizuhara. Major League Baseball announced its own investigation on Friday.