Shohei Ohtani will not answer questions from the media later on Monday, with the $700 million Dodgers star instead reading a statement about the $4.5 million gambling investigation engulfing him.
According to multiple reports on Monday afternoon, the Japanese star will read his statement alone.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts emphasized Sunday that the gambling investigation surrounding Ohtani and his fired interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was not a distraction for Los Angeles, but said he was glad Ohtani would speak out.
‘I think it’s good. I think this is the right thing to do,” Roberts told the media. ‘I’m glad he’s going to speak out with what he knows and give his opinion on the whole situation. I think it will give us all a little more clarity.”
But that now appears not to be entirely the case. Ohtani will make his pre-scheduled statement at 2:45 PM PT.
Shohei Ohtani will not answer media questions Monday as he reads a statement about the $4.5 million gambling investigation engulfing him
Ohtani will make a media appearance in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday he was glad Ohtani would speak
The slugger also hasn’t spoken since the team fired Mizuhara, who is 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, representatives for the baseball star have described the events as a “massive theft.”
The latest developments in this story reveal that Mizuhara lied about his studies at the University of California, Riverside – and also fabricated that he was working with former Boston Red Sox player Hideki Okajima.
The Red Sox even went so far as to send a message to the media stating, “Mizuhara has never been employed by the Boston Red Sox in any capacity and was not an interpreter for Hideki Okajima during the pitcher’s time at the team. Please know that we have thoroughly reviewed our files to ensure we are providing accurate information.”
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 California gambling operation that ESPN reports is under federal investigation. Unlike many other states, California has not yet legalized sports gambling.
At the time, the Dodgers were playing the San Diego Padres in South Korea in the opening series of the season for Major League Baseball.
Spokespeople for Ohtani initially told ESPN that the 29-year-old Mizuhara helped cover massive gambling debts. But later – after the interpreter spoke to ESPN about the allegations – Ohtani’s representatives disavowed his comments and offered a statement from the Dodgers star’s lawyers:
“While responding to recent media inquiries, we learned that Shohei has been the victim of a grand theft, and we are turning the matter over to authorities,” said the statement from Ohtani’s law firm, Berk Brettler LLP.
Ohtani’s lawyers did not outright accuse Mizuhara of stealing the slugger, but the Los Angeles Times reports that the interpreter is accused of taking millions from the star.
