A spokesman for the U.S. lawyer’s workplace declined to remark. Matthew Hiltzik, a spokesman for Ohtani, referred to the participant’s detailed clarification he gave to the media two weeks in the past, when Ohtani mentioned Mizuhara had stolen from him and he promised to cooperate totally with the federal and Main League Baseball investigations.
“I by no means wager on baseball or some other sports activities or by no means have requested any individual to do this on my behalf,” Ohtani mentioned. “And I’ve by no means went by means of a bookmaker to wager on sports activities. Up till a pair days in the past, I didn’t know this was occurring.”
The allegations concerning the theft surfaced when the Dodgers have been in Seoul to open the season with video games in opposition to the San Diego Padres. Curiosity within the crew has been intense because it signed Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract in December. However as he and his new teammates have been making ready for his or her opening video games, reporters started asking about suspicious wire transfers from Ohtani’s account that had surfaced in a federal investigation of an alleged bookmaker. Relatively than inform Ohtani personally, the famous person’s agent and Mizuhara tried to handle the disaster themselves.
Mizuhara, speaking with the agent, Nez Balelo, provided completely different variations of what had occurred. First, Mizuhara mentioned Ohtani had paid the money owed of an unnamed teammate; then he mentioned that he himself had racked up money owed with the bookie and that Ohtani had bailed him out. The shifting tales alarmed executives in Main League Baseball, who frightened that Ohtani is perhaps tarnished by a connection to playing.
As soon as executives with the Dodgers and Main League Baseball realized of the wire transfers — however with Ohtani nonetheless at midnight — the Dodgers requested Mizuhara to deal with the crew within the clubhouse after the primary sport in Seoul. He informed the crew that he had a playing habit and was deep in debt, and that Ohtani, his shut pal for years, had paid the money owed.
At that time, Ohtani, who isn’t fluent in English however can perceive the gist of some conversations, grew to become suspicious. After Mizuhara’s clubhouse handle, Ohtani informed reporters, he confronted Mizuhara again on the crew lodge. It was then, Ohtani mentioned, that Mizuhara informed him that he had stolen the cash from his account. The Dodgers promptly fired him.
