The Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal could be ending with a guilty plea that would essentially corroborate Ohtani’s claim that he knew nothing about the illegal sports betting that was happening with money allegedly stolen from him.
According to the New York Times, Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, is negotiating a plea deal in connection with the contention that he stole millions from Ohtani for betting purposes.
The plea, per the report, “could confirm” Ohtani’s claim that he had no knowledge of the bets being made with his money.
Either way, the investigation reportedly is “rapidly nearing a conclusion.”
The Times also reports that prosecutors have found evidence that Mizuhara might have stolen more than the $4.5 million he was initially accused of stealing. Authorities reportedly think they have proof that Mizuhara changed the settings on Ohtani’s bank account, allowing transactions to happen without Ohtani receiving notification of them.
Some will suspect that Mizuhara is simply the fall guy, and that he’s taking the blame for a betting scheme in which he was the conduit for Ohtani’s wagers. If that’s the case, however, Mizuhara could end up with a potentially lengthy prison sentence for something he didn’t do.
That makes it harder to think the situation is anything other than what Ohtani claims it was — thefts and wagers that occurred without his knowledge.
The situation nevertheless remains a cautionary tale for the NFL and other sports. Athletes easily can arrange for friends or family members to place wagers without detection by the governing bodies, especially in the states where sports betting can be legally and easily done from a phone. Athletes also can be victimized by those who have access to their money, leading to problems ranging from losing the money to acquiring suspicion and stigma that the claim of theft is nothing more than a cover story.
For Ohtani, the report from the Times points to a conclusion that it wasn’t just a cover story. That won’t stop people from believing it was, even if that belief is ultimately unfounded.