Shohei Ohtani’s debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers should be dominating sports headlines, but it has now been replaced with controversy.
The Dodgers are even opening their 2024 season on a splashy trip to South Korea but that no longer matters as the superstar deals with the backlash of illegal gambling and allegations that Ohtani’s friend and longtime interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, drained millions of dollars from the player’s bank accounts to cover bad bets.
The Dodgers have fired Mizuhara, but that is just the start of things to come.
A formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his longtime interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was launched by Major League Baseball on Friday in response to claims of “massive theft,” as reported by the LA Times.
“Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhari from the news media,” MLB said in a statement. “Earlier today, our Department of Investigations (DOI) began their formal process investigating the matter.”
MLB has not placed Shohei Ohtani on administrative leave and he remains an active player.
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Ohtani, Mizuhara, and the Los Angeles Dodgers were in Seoul, South Korea, for the two-game Seoul Series with the San Diego Padres when the story first came out. Mizuhara was spotted smiling and talking with Shohei Ohtani in the dugout and then the story surfaced and he would be fired by the team immediately.
Reports had emerged that connected Mizuhara to an illegal gambling operation in California, where sports betting is not legal. The reports stated that $4.5 million was wired from an account in Ohtani’s name to the gambling ring.
When the story initially came out, Mizuhara and a spokesperson for Ohtani initially told ESPN that the debts were Mizuhara’s, and Ohtani sent the money to help his friend pay them off. However, attorneys representing Ohtani later claimed that the player had been “the victim of a massive theft.”
Shohei Ohtani Investigation Into Gambling Scandal Will Negatively Impact The 2024 Season
The 2024 season was supposed to be about Shohei Ohtani making his move from the Angeles to the storied Dodgers after he agreed to sign a $700 million contract and promptly deferred $680 million until after the end of the contract.
No one knows how long the investigation will go on, but the longer it takes, the more stories will come out and it will put a damper on this season.
Also Read: The Entire Internet Is Making The Same Joke About ESPN’s Coverage Of The Shohei Ohtani Saga
