LOS ANGELES – Shohei Ohtani on Monday spoke publicly for the primary time since his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers. Within the roughly 11-minute press convention, throughout which no questions had been allowed, Ohtani stated he by no means guess on baseball or every other sport, and accused Mizuhara of stealing and mendacity to Ohtani and his purchasers. representatives.
There's solely a lot one can take from a one-sided assertion, after all, and questions nonetheless stay, similar to precisely what authorities have pursued Ohtani's representatives with regard to Mizuhara — final Thursday the IRS introduced that opened a legal investigation into Mizuhara – or how precisely Mizuhara did it. have entry to Ohtani's accounts within the first place, or how a report of $4.5 million — the quantity reported final week by ESPN — doesn't seem to have gone lacking.
However Ohtani's assertion a minimum of drew very particular battle traces.
Right here is Ohtani's assertion in full, which was translated by Will Ireton, with the transcript beneath.
“Initially, thanks very a lot for coming. I need to be right here as we speak so I can discuss. I'm certain it was very onerous. It's been a tough week for the followers and the workforce officers. And I'm very grateful that the media is be affected person on this course of. Simply on a private observe, I’m very unhappy and sorry that somebody I trusted did this.
“Clearly, as we speak there are issues that I’m restricted and to have the ability to communicate, I hope you perceive. I’ve a doc in entrance of me that I’ll check with that can element what occurred.
“I’ve by no means guess on baseball, every other sport or I’ve by no means requested somebody to do it for me. And I’ve by no means gone by means of a bookmaker, to guess on sports activities.
“Till a few days in the past, I didn't know this was taking place.
“Simply to go over the end result a bit. In conclusion, Ippei stole cash from my account, and informed lies.
“Final weekend in Korea, the media reached out to a consultant in my camp. asking about my potential participation in sports activities betting. Ippei by no means revealed to me that there was this media request, and to the representatives on the my camp, he stated – Ippei informed the media and my representatives that, you realize, on behalf of a buddy paid the debt.
“After additional questioning, it was revealed that it was truly Ippei who was in debt, and he informed my representatives that I paid these money owed. All of this was an entire lie.
“Ippei clearly lied, you realize, principally he didn't inform me in regards to the media investigation. Ippei informed everybody round that he communicated with Shohei about this complete account to my consultant and the workforce, and that’s not true.
“The primary time I knew about Ippei's sport was after the primary sport [March 20 in South Korea] once we had a workforce assembly within the clubhouse. Throughout the workforce assembly, clearly Ippei was talking English and I didn't have a translator on my aspect. However even with that, I understood what was happening and commenced to really feel that there was one thing incorrect.
“Earlier than the assembly, Ippei informed me, let's discuss one-on-one within the resort after the assembly. So I waited till then. Till that workforce assembly, I didn't know that Ippei had a playing dependancy and he was in debt.
“Clearly I by no means agreed to pay the debt or you realize, make funds to the bookmaker. Lastly, once we returned to the resort, and we talked one-on-one, that was once I found that I had a large debt.
“It was revealed to me throughout that assembly that Ippei admitted that he had despatched cash with my account to the bookmaker. Clearly I used to be that it was an absurd factor that had occurred, and I contacted my representatives at that time. Once I was lastly capable of speaking to my representatives, that's when my representatives came upon that they’d been mendacity all alongside. And that's once I began contacting the Dodgers and my attorneys. The Dodgers and the attorneys at the moment, in addition they additionally found that they had been lied to.
“My attorneys advocate that, since that is theft and fraud, that now we have the right authority to take care of this matter. In conclusion, I need to make it clear that I’ve by no means guess on sports activities, or had voluntarily despatched cash to the bookmaker.
“To sum up how I really feel proper now, I'm simply over the shock. It's actually onerous to verbalize how I really feel at this level. The season is about to start out, and clearly I'll let my attorneys deal with issues from right here on out, and I'm absolutely assisted in all of the investigations which can be being accomplished now.
“I sit up for specializing in the season. I'm glad we had the chance to speak and I'm certain there will probably be continued investigations going ahead. Thanks very a lot.”
