Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani He said Monday that he had never bet on baseball or other sports, declaring himself “saddened and shocked” by accusations that his interpreter stole millions of dollars from him to pay off gambling debts.
In his first public statements about the scandal that broke last week and led to the dismissal of his long-time friend and translator Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani stressed that he had been the victim of a multimillion-dollar robbery.
“I have never bet on baseball or any other sport, I have never asked anyone to do so on my behalf and I have never used a bookmaker to bet on sports,” the Japanese star declared through a translator.
Ohtani, baseball’s biggest star who joined the Dodgers last December in a record $700 million deal, said he only learned of the revelations involving Mizuhara after Wednesday’s opening night win. season against the San Diego Padres in Seoul.
Ohtani said an interview Mizuhara gave to ESPN last week, in which his translator claimed the star had knowingly wired money to a California betting house to pay off the performer’s gambling debts, was “a complete lie.” .
“Obviously I never agreed to pay this debt or make payments to the betting houses,” the 29-year-old told reporters at Dodger Stadium.
“This whole thing has been a complete lie. Until a couple of days ago I didn’t know this was happening. Ippei has stolen money from my account and told lies.
“I am very sad and surprised that someone I trusted did this,” Ohtani stated about the accusations.
Ohtani did not take questions from reporters and did not immediately explain how Mizuhara had been able to access his bank account to steal an amount reported to be $4.5 million.
2024-03-26 01:17:18
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