Final Wednesday, ESPN’s Tisha Thompson wrote a bombshell report revealing that one in all Ohtani’s financial institution accounts was utilized in reference to an unlawful betting operation in California.
A spokesman for Ohtani initially informed Thompson that the Dodgers slugger “had transferred funds to cowl Mizuhara’s playing debt,” however that was later backtracked in a press release by Ohtani’s legal professionals declaring Mizuhara stole from Ohtani.
“It has been a troublesome week,” started Ohtani’s ready assertion he learn on Monday. He emphasised that he “by no means wager on sports activities” and had no information of what Mizuhara was doing.
“Ippei stole cash and informed lies,” mentioned Ohtani by way of an interpreter.
In ESPN’s preliminary report, Mizuhara informed the community he requested Ohtani to repay his debt final yr, and he agreed. Nevertheless, after Ohtani’s legal professionals denied that declare, Mizuhara informed ESPN that Ohtani did not know in regards to the cash transfers.
Sports activities betting is prohibited in California, and whereas MLB permits its gamers to wager on sports activities apart from baseball, it forbids gamers from utilizing offshore or unlawful sportsbooks to make wagers.
Mizuhara has by no means alleged Ohtani positioned bets, but it surely actually appears dangerous for a checking account together with his identify on it to point out up in a federal investigation into an unlawful betting operation.
A lawyer for Matthew Boyer, the person on the middle of the federal investigation, informed Thompson that their shopper “by no means met or spoke with Shohei Ohtani.”
Ohtani’s assertion on Monday did not inform us something new. It is not precisely stunning that he denied information of the transactions. His legal professionals had already mentioned that he was a sufferer of a “huge theft.”
However it’s disappointing that Ohtani declined to reply any questions. Why weren’t any purple flags raised about massive sums of cash going lacking from his checking account?
In the event that they had been seen, how did Mizuhara clarify it? And the way was he capable of entry Ohtani’s account?
Till these are answered, whereas indications thus far are that Ohtani is the sufferer, he’ll be the one on trial within the courtroom of public opinion.
