Shohei Ohtani Has A Gambling Problem
Sort of.
If Bravo and ESPN had a baby, it would be Impersonal Foul. You in? Subscribe and tell your friends. It means the world!
Move over Bruno Mars. There’s a new high-profile gambling story in town.
Yesterday, ESPN reported that Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ newly signed star, has a gambling problem.
Well, ish.
According to ESPN, Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend, Ippei Mizuhara, was fired for allegedly incurring a large gambling debt to a Southern California bookmaking operation that is currently under federal investigation.
Not! Great!
This isn’t just a few thousand dollars here and there. According to the report, questions surrounding $4.5 million in wire transfers from Ohtani’s bank account kicked off the whole saga.
Sources told ESPN that, starting in 2021, Mizuhara placed bets on international soccer, the NBA, NFL, and college football—but not baseball.
Initially, a spokesperson for Ohtani told ESPN that Ohtani was the one who made those wire transfers to cover Mizuhara’s debt, which feels like a *very* generous thing to do—even for a close friend.
In a decision that certainly was a CHOICE, the spokesperson made Mizuhara available to ESPN for a 90-minute interview, where he spilled the beans:
"Obviously, he [Ohtani] wasn't happy about it and said he would help me out to make sure I never do this again," Mizuhara said. "He decided to pay it off for me.”
According to Mizuhara, Ohtani used his own computer to send the wire transfers “over several months.”
*Then* just as ESPN was about to publish the story, Ohtani’s spokesperson “disavowed” Mizuhara’s account and said jk we’re gonna release a statement instead:
"In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to the authorities.”
I’m sorry, but this budget Tree Paine spokesperson is…something.
Anyways!
So now Ohtani’s team is claiming that it was actually Ohtani who had been the victim of a “massive theft” by his close friend he was seen chatting and smiling with just hours before this story broke???
Hrrmm…The math isn’t mathing!
Since this strange statement came out, both Ohtani’s team and Mizuhara have declined to comment further on the matter.
After the Dodgers win over the San Diego Padres during the season-opening series in South Korea on Wednesday, Mizuhara allegedly addressed the team to tell them that he had a gambling addiction and that a story was going to come out.
I’m sorry, but that speech feels like something in an ABC drama that doesn’t get renewed after season one.
Here’s what I’ll say: Ohtani’s team having the most unhinged strategy and not keeping their story straight feels very on brand for a group of people who thought it was a good idea for their star client to share a $700 million blurry Instagram post.
Why are people surprised this team is acting like this? The blurry Instagram post is still up!
I’m sure there will be another strange update from the Ohtani camp in the coming days, and I bet it’ll include another pixelated Instagram post.
What Paying Subscribers Got
Formula 1 is driving to survive this Red Bull/misconduct/harassment scandal.
Back in early February, Red Bull announced that Team Principal and CEO of their F1 team, Christian Horner, was being investigated following allegations of “inappropriate behavior” towards a female employee.
The employee told the organization’s parent company that Horner had engaged in “inappropriate, controlling behavior.”
What’s Larsa Pippen Up To?
In an unfortunate turn of events, it looks like Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan have broken up—for real this time.
According to PEOPLE Magazine, a source says the couple is “…moving in different directions” and that the split was amicable.
Who knows, maybe we’ll get another update to this story in the next season of the Real Housewives of Miami…
For now, allow Larsa to reintroduce herself (according to her own words):
Other Pointless Sports Gossip
Speaking of Ohtani, he has a signature logo now for his deal with New Balance. (via MLB)
Also: Ohtani already has a new interpreter! (via TMZ Sports)
A Minnesota Timberwolves employee was fired and arrested on charges of third-degree burglary. Apparently, he’s being accused of taking “several internal files”. Ooop! (via ESPN)
The James family posted a *very* adorable TikTok. (via TikTok)
If Bravo and ESPN had a baby, it would be Impersonal Foul. You in? Subscribe and tell your friends. It means the world!
You can follow me on Instagram here, Twitter here and TikTok here. Enjoy the endless void of content!
I find Ohtani covering for the interpreter to be believable! A few years back, one of the panelists of the Japanese reality show Terrace House was discovered to have committed some tax fraud, and he basically disappeared from the public eye due to the shame of the whole thing. I wonder if Ohtani knew that he was basically untouchable and that this would ruin the interpreter's life? But I am speculating wildly!
He just needed ONE more leg of a parlay to hit and the debt would've been settled