Around 5:00pm on a Friday, MLB finally announced that they are investigating Shohei Ohtani because of at least $4.5M in wire transactions going from his bank account to an illegal bookie, Matthew Bowyer.
Timeline of events so far
Initially, a crisis-communications spokesman who had just been hired for Ohtani presented this story:
- Ohtani wired $4.5M, but his interpreter and friend, Ippei Mizuhara, was the gambler.
- Ippei, battling a gambling addiction, accumulated $4.5M in debt.
- Ohtani covered his best friend’s debt because he’s a kind person.
Ippei was introduced to ESPN reporters by Ohtani’s spokesman with this narrative.
However, the story shifted after Ohtani’s legal team got involved:
- Ohtani allegedly didn’t know about the wired money.
- Ippei is a “massive thief” and lied in his ESPN interview.
- Ippei immediately confesses to being a thief and liar.
Many view the narrative shifting to Ippei being a “massive thief” as a tactic to protect Ohtani from accidental links to illegal gambling, suggesting Ohtani intended only to help Ippei with what he thought were legal debts. This implies the initial narrative was accurate, and Ippei is shouldering the theft allegations to alleviate the predicament he caused for Ohtani.
However, if Ohtani truly engaged in illegal activity unknowingly, this could be established in a legal investigation, possibly resulting in minimal consequences for him. This raises the question: why change the story to “massive theft” and risk their credibility if the truth could be proven with lesser implications? Ippei is looking at serious jail time.
Shohei Ohtani Speaks Out Against Gambling
My favorite part of Ippei’s interviews is when he suggested that Shohei once saw his teammates gambling and took a staunch anti-gambling stance right then and there:
“Why are they doing this? Gambling is not good.”
-Ippei Mizuhara
-Shohei Ohtani
Key Reasons Why Ohtani’s Story Doesn’t Check Out
The twitter sleuths commonly ask the following questions:
- Why did Mizuhara have access to Ohtani’s bank account?
- How did such large transactions bypass bank security checks?
- Why would a bookie extend millions in credit to someone earning $85K?
These are valid questions, but let’s dig into some more interesting, less discussed sources of fishy smells…
1. Ohtani signed his massively-deferred contract after the bookie got busted
The operation involving the illegal bookie was taken down by federal agents in October 2023.
Should there have been any link between Ohtani and the bookie, Ohtani would likely be aware of the risk of an MLB investigation by the time he inked his $700M contract and opted for significant deferrals. He chose to defer $680M of his contract to 10 years in the future, post-retirement, purportedly to aid in ‘win-now’ payroll flexibility. The question arises: if Ohtani faces suspension, does this maneuver protect the deferred money?
2. The bookie “allowed people to believe” Ohtani was a client to boost business
What does it actually mean when it’s said the bookie “allowed people to believe” Ohtani was a client to enhance business? This could only mean the bookie was running around telling people Shohei Ohtani was a client on his sportsbook. But who is the target audience of that marketing campaign?
“Preferred illegal sportsbook of professional athlete Shohei Ohtani.”
Does this sound like a bookie who wants professional interpreters as clients, or professional athletes?
3. The logic against illegal betting
Considering the legality of sports betting in most U.S. states, why would Ippei or Ohtani resort to illegal channels?
Legally, they’re permitted to place bets on nearly all professional sports, with one notable exception posing significant legal risks… if they wanted to bet on that other sport, they would have to find a sportsbook that accepted illegal wagers.
4. Ippei claims he didn’t know he was betting illegally — seriously?
Why should we believe that? He claims he used DraftKings or FanDuel initially. So why stop?
He’s not some clueless foreigner, he grew up in California. And he sees legal sportsbook ads daily working around MLB.
5. Why the hell hasn’t Ippei lawyered up?
Ippei has reportedly navigated the scandal so far without legal representation, a move that begs the question of his rationale. Typically, the only individual in such a scenario who would avoid seeking a lawyer is someone positioned to take the fall.
Conclusion
I don’t know if minor league basketball is a thing, but if it is, I have a feeling Shohei Ohtani is going to retire early so he can spend a few years playing minor league basketball, then come out of retirement and win a few championships.
Can’t wait for the 30 for 30.
Ohtani Scandal Betting Odds Brought to You By FanDuel
Guilty: +125
Not Guilty: -200
Disclaimer: Winnings are to be paid out based on the official ruling of Major League Baseball’s investigation, even if it’s fairly obvious that the player being wagered on is the league’s Golden Child and is getting special treatment.