On Monday, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani addressed the media for the first time since his longtime interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was accused of partaking in illegal sports gambling. Said accusation stemmed from a federal investigation into the alleged bookmaker, Mathew Bowyer, with whom Mizuhara is said to have placed bets. Last week, Major League Baseball opened its own inquiry to the matter: mind you, MLB personnel are allowed to gamble on non-diamond sports provided that it's legal in that jurisdiction; sports gambling remains illegal in California, however.
Ohtani read a prepared statement that was translated by new interpreter Will Ireton (Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers last Wednesday), but did not take questions from the press. Ohtani claimed to have no prior knowledge of Mizuhara's gambling, and accused Mizuhara of stealing the funds from his accounts.
"I never bet on baseball or any other sports. I have never asked anybody to do that on my behalf. I have never gone through a bookmaker to bet on sports. Up until a couple of days ago, I didn't know this was happening," part of Ohtani's statement read. (You can click here for the entire transcript.)
Even with Ohtani's statement, there are a lot of unanswered questions left to be asked about the entire situation. Below, CBS Sports has compiled its share while offering the latest information on the topic.
1. How were the payments made?
ESPN reported last week that at least $4.5 million in wire transfers was sent from Ohtani's bank account in California to the bookmaker. ESPN also reported that it had viewed bank information that showed Ohtani's name connected with two $500,000 payments as recently as September. Each transaction was marked as a "loan."
"We had to add a description for the wire," Mizuhara told ESPN. "I think [Bowyer] might have told me to just put 'loan.' You had to put something."
It's worth noting that Ohtani has claimed to have no knowledge of Mizuhara's gambling or gambling debts, and that he did not authorize the transfers. In turn, Ohtani and his lawyers have accused Mizuhara of committing theft, which raises another question.
2. Is it unusual for an interpreter to have access to bank accounts?
Although interpreters are often perceived as having one function -- to help the player bridge language gaps with their teammates and coaches -- many of them come to serve in greater roles for their players. That can include handling non-baseball responsibilities that grant the interpreter access to sensitive information. In this particular case, Mizuhara had been at Ohtani's side dating back through the beginning of his MLB career; it's probably fair to assume that there was a high degree of trust between the sides.
Don't take our word for it. ESPN's Daniel Kim, a former interpreter himself, tweeted about his experiences on Tuesday.
"I had to assist the players on just about every aspect of their daily lives," Kim shared. "These include: opening bank accounts, taking them to [the] DMV to get licenses, and setting up utilities. I also carried their check books on the road for clubhouse dues."
Jeffrey J. Hall, a lecturer at Kanda University in Tokyo, Japan shared some highlights from an interview conducted with another former interpreter, Katsunori Kojima. Kojima said that he handled financial transactions for several players. Kojima also said that some players spread their money to multiple bank accounts, enabling them to grant access to their interpreter without giving them access to their entire savings.
Ohtani is estimated by Baseball Reference to have made nearly $40 million throughout his career -- and that's without factoring in the money he's made through endorsement deals. In other words, it is theoretically possible -- and we stress the theoretically part -- that Mizuhara had access to a smaller account that still contained millions upon millions of dollars.
3. When will Ohtani take questions?
Seeing as how Ohtani has lawyers advising him on the situation, it seems highly unlikely that he'll submit to a Q&A about the allegations lobbed at Mizuhara while there are investigations ongoing.
4. How long will the investigations take?
There's no way of knowing.
5. What's next for Mizuhara?
If the accusations made against Mizuhara are true, he would appear to be in trouble -- both legally and with the Commissioner's office.
Remember, MLB personnel are allowed to partake in legal sports gambling on non-diamond sports; Mizuhara appears to have violated MLB Rule 21:
Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee who places bets with illegal book makers, or agents for illegal book makers, shall be subject to such penalty as the Commissioner deems appropriate in light of the facts and circumstances of the conduct. Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee who operates or works for an illegal bookmaking business shall be subject to a minimum of a one-year suspension by the Commissioner. For purposes of this provision, an illegal bookmaker is an individual who accepts, places or handles wagers on sporting events from members of the public as part of a gaming operation that is unlawful in the jurisdiction in which the bets are accepted.
...
"Nothing herein contained shall be construed as exclusively defining or otherwise limiting acts, transactions, practices or conduct not to be in the best interests of Baseball; and any and all other acts, transactions, practices or conduct not to be in the best interests of Baseball are prohibited and shall be subject to such penalties, including permanent ineligibility, as the facts in the particular case may warrant."
Now, Mizuhara has claimed he did not realize placing bets with the bookmaker was illegal, but ignorance is not generally accepted as a way of avoiding punishment.
As such, Commissioner Rob Manfred could subject Mizuhara to a lengthy suspension. Of course, if Ohtani's accusations of theft are proven to be legitimate, then Mizuhara may have other, larger matters to worry himself about than his MLB eligibility.
6. What happens to Ohtani's endorsements?
Presumably nothing. At present, Ohtani is claiming to have been a victim of a crime. Unless either investigation reveals a different story that invalidates Ohtani's claims, it would seem unjust for companies to disavow their relationship with him. Among Ohtani's endorsement deals are New Balance, Fanatics, Topps and several companies in Japan. The Los Angeles Times estimated that he made $40 million in sponsorships in 2023, and that number is expected to rise this year.
7. Any on-the-field implications?
If Ohtani's version of events are the truth, then he's likely dealing with a slew of complicated feelings and thoughts. He's only human, so it's certainly possible that his play is impacted. Otherwise, Ohtani remains on the active roster.
8. What does this mean for gambling in baseball?
As we explained last week, organized baseball has a long and often sordid history with gambling. MLB has, with the changing of laws around the country, embarked on official partnerships with casinos and betting apps -- something that would have been unthinkable decades ago, when retired Hall of Famers like Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle were placed on the ineligible list after taking ambassador jobs with casinos.
There's no question that MLB would prefer its biggest star not be connected in any way with illegal gambling. However, the circumstances of this story -- as they are understood to be at present -- make it doubtful that anything materially changes with respect to the league's partnership or rules on gambling.
