Baseball star Shohei Ohtani said his former interpreter stole money from his account to pay an illegal bookmaker and vigorously denied that he ever personally, wilfully engaged in sports betting, in his first public address following allegations of impropriety that emerged last week.
“I never bet on baseball or other sports or asked anyone to bet on my behalf, said Ohtani, who in December signed a 10-year, $700mn contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Referencing his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, he said, “Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has told lies.”
Ohtani made prepared comments to journalists who had gathered in the Dodgers clubhouse. He took no questions.
Ohtani’s remarks are his first public comments since the Dodgers fired Mizuhara last week after ESPN and the Los Angeles Times reported the interpreter had allegedly placed bets with an illegal bookmaker.