Shohei Ohtani’s carefully cultivated image as baseball’s “perfect person” has been clouded by stunning allegations that his close friend and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara illegally gambled and misappropriated funds from the superstar.
The Los Angeles Dodgers fired Mizuhara on Wednesday after reports emerged detailing his alleged ties to an illegal sports bookmaking operation and claims he stole money from Ohtani to pay off debts.
The law firm representing Ohtani described it as a “massive theft” in a statement.
The scandal erupted just as Ohtani was being celebrated during MLB’s opening series in South Korea – games scheduled before his record $700 million contract with the Dodgers was finalized. What was meant to showcase Ohtani’s star power in the fertile Asian baseball market has now been overshadowed by the off-field chaos.
According to Mizuhara’s own account to ESPN, Ohtani was an innocent victim of his interpreter’s gambling addiction which included betting on soccer, the NBA, NFL and college football. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service confirmed a criminal investigation into Mizuhara and the alleged illegal bookmaker is underway.
Despite the swirling controversy, Ohtani appeared unfazed in taking the field Thursday, ripping a single his first at-bat while narrowly missing two home runs. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed Mizuhara met with the team Wednesday but declined further comment on his status or whereabouts.
Marketing experts suggest that as long as Ohtani is not directly implicated in any illegal gambling, the allegations should only temporarily tarnish his carefully-branded persona as an upstanding athletic phenomenon.
“Ohtani’s image is like clean, white porcelain, and that could make a speck look bigger than it is,” said Professor Lee Seung-yun of Konkuk University. “But his image is so strong and impeccable, and as long as he wasn’t directly involved, the allegations may just end up a blip.”
However, the situation has raised broader questions about Ohtani’s insular circle of associates and apparent naivete outside the diamond. Experts suggest the Dodgers likely should have exercised better due diligence vetting those surrounding their $700 million investment.
As the investigation unfolds, the scandal casts an undeniable pall over what was supposed to be a celebratory international spectacle for Ohtani and MLB alike.
How the two-way superstar ultimately emerges from the self-inflicted controversy could determine if the “perfect person” aura remains intact or irreparably tainted.
The Horn editorial team