Shohei Ohtani press conference: What did the Dodger’s slugger say about the sports betting allegations?

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way sensation is set to address the media after allegations of ‘massive theft’ were made against his close associate. To date, there have been conflicting stories about what exactly happened. Will we finally have clarity, or will this simply lead to more unanswered questions?

Shohei Ohtani gives first comments on Ippei Mizuhara scandal

If you’ve been following our reports in recent days, you will know that Los Angeles Dodgers star, Shohei Ohtani, has found himself embroiled in a very sticky situation that involves his long-time friend and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. As per our reports, Mizuhara received at least $4.5 million from Ohtani’s bank account, which was then used to pay off gambling debts owed to Matthew Bowyer, a former illegal bookmaker in California who is currently under federal investigation. To be clear, it is alleged that Mizuhara stole the funds from Ohtani which subsequently aligns with the fact he has since been fired by the franchise. MLB has also launched an investigation into the nature of transactions between Ohtani and his associate.

This of course brings us to the present, where we have seen an attorney for Bowyer admitting that the bookmaker did in fact do business with Mizuhara but never had any contact with Ohtani. “Mathew Bowyer never spoke with or emailed with or texted with or had any contact whatsoever with Shohei Ohtani,” the attorney, Diane Bass told CNN in an on-camera interview on Saturday. Bass also went on to point out that while her client remains under federal investigation, he has not been charged with a crime. As for Mizuhara, he has maintained that at no point did he bet on baseball, something that would be of grave consequence where Ohtani - an active player - is concerned. “I never bet on baseball … That’s 100 percent. I knew that rule. ...We have a meeting about that in spring training,” he said.

So, what did Ohtani say? Before we get to his brief statement on Monday, it’s worth noting how welcome they were in the context of the media frenzy. Indeed, that was evident in Sunday’s comments from Los Angeles Dodgers manager, Dave Roberts: “I’m happy he’s going to speak – speak to what he knows and give his thoughts on the whole situation, Roberts said on Sunday. “I think it’ll give us a little bit more clarity.” As for the man himself, Ohtani spoke through Dodgers employee, Will Ireton, who served as his interpreter. During the brief press conference at Dodgers Stadium in which his written statement was read, Ohtani did not field any questions nor were cameras allowed.

“I’m very saddened and shocked that someone who I trusted has done this,” were the words with which Shohei Ohtani began his statement about the allegations brought against his friend and former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Ohtani then continued by declaring that his now disgraced associate has not been acting appropriately. “Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has told lies,” he said before adding, “I never bet on baseball or any other sports, or never have asked somebody to do it on my behalf. I have never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports.”