New Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani has found himself at the center of a scandal involving him and his interpreter. Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has been accused by Ohtani and his lawyers of stealing $4.5 million from the superstar.
Ohtani, who this off-season signed a record-breaking $700 million contract with the Dodgers, has been friends with Mizuhara since his time in the majors began. However, Mizuhara’s past is now coming into question along with his gambling habits.
According to Mizuhara’s bio with Ohtani’s former team the Angels, he attended the University of California – Riverside. However, according to the university, they have no record of Mizuhara attending the institution.
There are also speculations that Ohtani knew of Mizuhara’s gambling problems, and assisted in concealing them from both the Angels and the Dodgers. This however has no concrete evidence to back that claim.
Misuhara has since been fired, following the Dodgers’ trip to South Korea.
This news is still new, and more and more details are working their way out. Ohtani is scheduled to have his first public press conference since the news broke tomorrow, and we will learn more about this interesting situation.
