The events unfolding in this saga about Ippei Mizuhara's debt with bookmaker Matthew Bowyer just got a lot more clarity. Shohei Ohtani has now gone out to dispel the rumors of his involvement in the interpreter's gambling problem. Now, the Los Angeles Dodgers' designated hitter has moved on from him and replaced him with Will Ireton.
Reports surfaced which stated that Shohei Ohtani had been helping Ippei Mizuhara with his gambling problem. Statements have gone out about the Dodgers star sending wire transfers to the interpreter in order to resolve his dues to Matthew Bowyer. Apparently, all of these were faulty pieces of information. The Dodgers DH had to clear the air alongside his new interpreter, Will Ireton, via Greg Beacham of AP News.
“I am very saddened and shocked someone whom I trusted has done this. Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has been telling lies. I never bet on sports or have willfully sent money to the bookmaker. I never bet on baseball or any other sports or never have asked somebody to do it on my behalf and I have never gone through a bookmaker to bet on sports. and was never asked to assist with betting payment for anyone else,” Shohei Ohtani.
Moreover, the Dodgers star also blasted the reports that spurred out of Ippei Mizuhara's statements in the past few days.
“All of this has been a complete lie. Ippei obviously basically didn’t tell me about the media inquiry. So Ippei has been telling everyone around that he has been communicating with me on this account to the media and my team and that hasn’t been true,” Ohtani declared through Will Ireton's aid.
Dodgers fans left confused
This statement drew a lot of attention from Dodgers fans and the opinions were a mixed bag.
Joe Pompliano still had a lot of questions for the two-time MVP, “Shohei Ohtani’s press conference avoided two important questions: How did Ippei have access to his bank account? How did he not notice multiple $500,000 payments leaving his account over several months? It’s hard to believe any story without hearing answers to those questions.”
Jarred Carrabis of Underdog Fantasy, on the other hand, had his own opinion about the ordeal,” I have zero reason to believe that Shohei Ohtani is lying about anything that he said in his statement.”
Some fans were also just here for the fun, “I’m fully aware Shohei Ohtani will face no punishment for the crimes he committed and/or the MLB rules he broke. I will, however, continue to post jokes about the situation. Because we know what he did, even though MLB would never punish him. No further questions at this time.”
Ohtani did not learn about all of this until they had to face the San Diego Padres in Seoul. Moreover, the new development is that the IRS is also conducting a criminal investigation to look into Mizuhara and Matthew Bowyer's activities. Overall, it will be a lengthy process that will taint the Dodgers star's name for a fair amount of time. Hopefully, this does not distract him from balling out on a nightly basis.
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