There were no dark secrets exposed, no titillating confessions and no apologies.
Shohei Ohtani, Major League Baseball’s biggest star, sat in front of a sea of reporters and tape recorders for 12 minutes on Monday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, and without the slightest bit of nervousness, and said that that he simply was duped.
He insisted that that he had zero knowledge, zero inkling and absolutely zero involvement in his interpreter’s gambling addiction, racking up at least $4.5 million in sports wagering with an alleged illegal bookmaker.
“I’ve never bet on baseball or any other sport,’’ Ohtani said, “or ever asked anyone to do it on my behalf. I never went through a bookmaker.’’
Ohtani, who understands basic English and can speak limited English, said he had no idea that Mizuhara had a gambling addiction or withdrew money out his account until Mizuhara informed the Dodgers organization and players last week in a team meeting.
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“Up until that team meeting,’’ Ohtani said, “I didn’t know that Ippei had a gambling addiction and was in debt.’’
He never met, spoke to, or ever heard of Mathew Bowyer, the target of a federal investigation for allegedly running an illegal bookmaking operation in Southern California.
“I never agreed to pay off the debt,’’ Ohtani said, “or make payments to the bookmaker.’’
And he never granted permission for Mizuhara to take funds out of his account to cover a gambling debt. Ohtani considered Mizuhara not only his interpreter, but his best friend who also acted as a manager.
Now, a week later, he’s accusing Mizuhara of massive theft, lies and fraud.
“Ippei has been stealing money from my account,’’ Ohtani said, “and has told lies.’’
Ohtani spoke through his new interpreter on Monday, Will Ireton, using a PowerPoint presentation that was written, examined, scrutinized and dissected by his crisis management team, his agents, his attorneys and Dodgers executives.
The Dodgers prohibited live television crews and still photographers from attending the press conference, instead sending his message through a live Dodgers TV feed.
It was the message that everyone has been eagerly anticipating since the scandal broke last week in South Korea.
“I’m beyond shocked,’’ Ohtani said. “It’s really hard to verbalize how I’m feeling at this point.’’
Ohtani, who signed a record 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December, did not take any questions, saying that he will fully cooperate with federal and MLB investigators, and doesn’t plan to address it again until the investigation is complete.
The Dodgers are hoping that Ohtani’s statement provided clarity, conveying the message that the investigation is focused on Mizuhara, and not Ohtani. It’s unknown if there will be any lingering damage to Ohtani’s brand or image. Ohtani’s brand is so momentous that Dodger officials believe he’s worth about $50 million to the franchise in ticket sales, merchandising and advertising.
Major League Baseball originally was not going to investigate Ohtani since there has been no indication that any bets were on baseball games, but announced late Friday that they would launch an investigation.
If it’s proven that Ohtani was not involved at all, he might be a sympathetic figure, simply naïve for implicitly trusting a friend.
If it turns out that Ohtani knew about the gambling, commissioner Rob Manfred has the power to levy a penalty, which is expected to be nothing more than a fine providing no bets were made on baseball games.
Yet, even if Ohtani were simply fined, it would certainly cloud his reputation, and perhaps cause a distraction to the Dodgers’ hopes of winning a World Series.
“I’m going to let my lawyers handle matters from here on out,’’ Ohtani said. “I’m completely assisting all investigations that are taking place right now.’’
The Dodgers’ domestic regular-season opener is Thursday at Dodger Stadium, with the World Series favorites hoping the scandal fades away.
“I’m looking forward to focusing on the season,’’ Ohtani said. “I’m glad I had this opportunity to talk. I’m sure there’ll be continuing investigations moving forward.’’
