Mizuhara (left) and Otani
Ippei Mizuhara, the interpreter for superstar Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers), was fired from the club due to suspicions of illegal gambling and theft.
Burke Brettler LLP, a law firm representing Ohtani, issued a statement on the 21st (Korean time) and said, “In the process of responding to recent media inquiries, we recognized that Ohtani was the victim of a large-scale theft case and handed over the case to the relevant authorities.”
According to sports media ESPN, this suspicion surfaced after it was revealed that Ohtani had sent money to gambler Matthew Boyer.
Initially, Otani’s side explained that Otani had sent money to pay off Mizuhara’s gambling debt, but changed their position on this day.
In the process of internally verifying the exact facts, it is possible that new circumstances were revealed that Mizuhara committed illegal gambling and improperly handled Otani’s money.
Citing a source, ESPN reported, “Mizuhara’s gambling debt has increased to at least $4.5 million,” and “ESPN reviewed data showing two transfers of $500,000 in Otani’s name.”
Previously, in an interview with ESPN, Mizuhara said, “I never bet on baseball games,” and explained that he had bet on international soccer, National Basketball Association (NBA), and National Football League (NFL).
MLB players and employees can gamble on sports other than baseball only through legal channels.
Aside from their official relationship, Otani and Mizuhara are well known as close friends outside of the field.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Mizuhara first became involved with Ohtani while working as an interpreter for American players at the Nippon Ham Fighters of the Japanese professional baseball team.
And when Ohtani transferred to the Los Angeles Angels at the end of 2017, he came to the United States with him as a personal interpreter.
Mizuhara also accompanied the Dodgers and San Diego Padres to the Seoul Series held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.
Mizuhara was also present in the photo taken by Otani on the plane to Korea, and also served as an interpreter in Otani’s interview after the game the previous day.
Ahead of this season, Ohtani moved to the Dodgers under the condition of a 10-year total of $700 million (about 938 billion won), the highest in MLB. 토토사이트