"Did He Really Not Know?"... US Expert Raises Doubts Over Ohtani's Explanation

"How Did the Interpreter Access the Account?"
"Is It Possible Not to Know About the Large Withdrawal?"

Major League Baseball (MLB) superstar Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers) has completely denied allegations of involvement in illegal gambling, while a U.S. sports business expert has raised suspicions again.

MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers). [Image source=UPI Yonhap News]

On the 26th (local time), sports business expert Joe Pompliano wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) that questions remain about Ohtani's press conference. He posed two questions. The first was "How was Ohtani's interpreter, Mizuhara Ippei, able to access Ohtani's bank account?" and the second was "How could Ohtani himself not have known that large sums of money were being withdrawn over several months?" Pompliano pointed out, "It is difficult to believe anything until answers to these two facts are heard."

Yahoo Sports also questioned, "How did no one notice $4.5 million disappearing from an MLB player's account?" and said, "If the story that 'Mizuhara stole' is true, it is truly alarming that no one noticed the transfers." The financial magazine Forbes also raised strong suspicions about Ohtani's possible involvement. In an article titled "Why Ohtani is unlikely to be innocent in the gambling scandal" published on the 24th, Forbes noted, "If Ohtani really did not know about the $4.5 million transfers, Mizuhara is likely to face additional charges of fraud and identity theft." It added, "(Such large transfers) would have required stealing or forging Ohtani's personal documents," and pointed out, "It is almost impossible for someone else to secretly transfer large sums from the account over several months without the account holder knowing." ESPN also reported that "Ohtani's representative refused to answer reporters' requests for confirmation on whether the theft allegations against Mizuhara were reported to any relevant authorities."

Mizuhara Ippei interpreting next to Shohei Ohtani.
[Image source=UPI Yonhap News]

Earlier, Ohtani's interpreter Mizuhara was fired by the team on charges of illegal gambling and tampering with Ohtani's money. Five days after the dismissal, Ohtani held a press conference at the Los Angeles Dodgers Stadium in California, USA. He said, "I have never engaged in sports gambling or intentionally sent money to gamblers," and completely denied allegations that he directly transferred $4.5 million (about 6 billion KRW) to a gambler to pay off Mizuhara's debts. He added, "I am very sad and shocked that someone I trusted did such a thing," and "It is hard to express how I feel right now." Ohtani read from a prepared memo for about 11 minutes with a new interpreter. He said, "This is all I can say," and did not take any further questions. Photography was also prohibited.

Whether Ohtani was aware of Mizuhara's gambling or paid off the debts himself is important. If Ohtani was involved in illegal gambling or knew about Mizuhara's gambling but paid off the debts on his behalf, he could face disciplinary action. In MLB, players or team staff involved in illegal sports gambling can be suspended for one year or permanently banned.

Meanwhile, Mizuhara reportedly formed a relationship with Ohtani when Ohtani joined the Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan's professional baseball in 2013, and when Ohtani entered the Major Leagues in 2018, Mizuhara's role expanded beyond simple interpretation to include secretary and manager duties.