The Shohei Ohtani situation isn’t a baseball story. It’s a gambling story. And it’s a cautionary tale for the NFL, which makes it very relevant here.
Via ESPN.com, Ohtani announced in the Dodgers‘ clubhouse on Sunday that he’ll meet with reporters on Monday to address the burgeoning controversy.
Ohtani’s camp initially claimed that he covered gambling debts for his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. The next day, they called it theft. Major League Baseball is investigating the situation.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that the decision to talk is Ohtani’s, not the team’s.
Mizuhara reportedly did not wager on baseball, but the wagers on other sports were made through an illegal bookmaker. The circumstances permit plausible suspicion that Mizuhara might have been making the bets as a conduit for Ohtani (at worst) or with his knowledge (at best).
Meanwhie, TheAthletic.com has taken a closer look at Mizuhara’s educational and work history, and there are questions. To say the least.
Ohtani will answer questions about the situation for the first time on Monday. However it plays out, this is just the first of what surely will be many major sports controversies in an age of legalized sports betting.
