Facing a packed room of reporters, Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani gave prepared remarks Monday in an attempt to shed light on the accusations that his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, engaged in a “massive theft” of the ballplayer’s funds to place bets with an illegal bookmaker, saying he was “saddened and shocked” by the revelations.
“I never bet on baseball or any other sports and have never asked someone to do so on my behalf and have never bet through a boomaker,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton, who was sitting to the two-way star’s right during the news conference at Dodger Stadium.