By Joiner Martínez
Mar 28, 2024, 3:53 PM EDT
The case of the Japanese star Shohei Ohtani causes a great stir at all levels of the Major Leagues and such is the case that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred himself spoke out about it.
“I hope it’s short, but I don’t know,” Manfred said when questioned on Major League Baseball Network’s “High Heat with Chris Russo.”
And he clarified: “Given the way the story unfolded, it is important to assure our fans about the integrity of the game that we verify the things that Mr. Ohtani said, it is really that simple.”
“We never have the kind of authority that the authorities have, but we managed to do these investigations and find the facts, and I’m sure we will do that in this case,” he declared.
Last week, Ohtani’s performer, Ippei Mizuhara, was fired after questions about at least $4.5 million in transfers sent from the superstar’s bank account to a gambling operation.
A few days ago, Ohtani claimed in the media that his close friend Mizuhara repeatedly took money from his accounts to finance his illegal sports gambling habit.
And that he was completely unaware of the “massive theft,” as his lawyers called it, until Mizuhara confessed it to him and the Dodgers last week in South Korea, where the team opened its regular season against the Padres.
Mizuhara incurred gambling debts with a Southern California gambling operation that is under federal investigation. The way he lost his job began when reporters asked him questions about bank transfers.
Ohtani’s attorneys reported that he transferred the funds to cover Mizuhara’s debt and presented him for an interview with ESPN, during which he outlined the process in detail.
The next day, a statement from Berk Brettler LLP, the law firm representing Ohtani in the matter, instead said that the two-way star “has been the victim of massive theft.” Mizuhara later told ESPN that Ohtani had no knowledge of his debt and that Ohtani had not transferred the money.
Keep reading:
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