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A potentially huge scandal is brewing in Major League Baseball, a sports betting controversy involving one of its brightest stars, Los Angeles Dodgers player Shohei Ohtani, and his friend and longtime Japanese interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.
Confusion first arose when the Dodgers announced on Wednesday that Mizuhara had been fired, shortly after lawyers for Ohtani — who in December signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers — issued a statement saying the player was “the victim of a massive theft.”
ESPN reported that Mizuhara was fired amid media inquiries about allegations of his involvement in illegal gambling, centered on wire transfers amounting to $4.5 million from Ohtani’s account to an allegedly illegal Southern California bookmaking operation that federal authorities are investigating.
The drama reportedly began behind the scenes on Monday when a spokesperson for Ohtani told ESPN that the player had paid off Mizuhara’s sports gambling debts. Mizuhara himself then sat for an interview with ESPN on Tuesday night, during which he said he had incurred millions in debt betting on sports — though not baseball, which MLB prohibits.
Mizuhara told ESPN that he sought Ohtani’s help to pay off his debt. “I explained my situation,” he said. “And obviously he wasn’t happy about it, but he said he would help me.”
The morning after Mizuhara’s interview, Ohtani’s spokesperson said that the player had only just been made aware of Mizuhara’s version of events, and had not realized that money was missing from his account. Per ESPN:
According to the Dodgers official and Ohtani’s spokesman, Ohtani’s representatives had continued to rely on Mizuhara to communicate with Ohtani while they were dealing with the situation, and Mizuhara did not tell Ohtani what was happening.
(NBC News has not independently verified those details.)
A person familiar with the duo’s interactions told NBC News that Mizuhara changed his story as reporters began asking questions, and he admitted to Ohtani’s agent and representatives that the original story was a lie.
Ohtani’s spokesperson told ESPN on Wednesday not to publish its story with Mizuhara’s interview. His lawyers then issued a statement saying the player was “the victim of a massive theft,” and the Dodgers announced Mizuhara’s firing shortly after.
MLB said on Friday that it was “gathering information” on the allegations involving Ohtani and Mizuhara, and that it would “investigate the matter.” Representatives for the Dodgers and Ohtani did not respond to NBC News’ request for comment, nor did Mizuhara.
The speed at which the allegations have shifted has thrown fans into disarray. Speculation about Mizuhara’s changing story has been rife, and some have deep skepticism that Ohtani had no knowledge of such large amounts of money being transferred out of his account, even as massive an account as it is.
Ohtani and Mizuhara have known each other since 2013, and the latter followed him to the United States when he signed with the Los Angeles Angels in 2017.