Shohei Ohtani, speaking through his new translator, denied betting on baseball or any other sport and called former translator Ippei Mizuhara a liar.
Ohtani made his first public statements on the allegations of Mizuhara’s gambling debt and theft on Monday afternoon, speaking for 12 minutes without taking questions from the media at Dodgers Stadium.
“On a personal note, I’m very saddened and shocked that someone who I trusted has done this,” Ohtani said after thanking fans, team officials and media for their patience. “…I never bet on baseball or any other sports or never have asked someone to do that on my behalf. I never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports.”
Ohtani then laid out the timeline of events, including how he found out about Mizuhara’s actions.
