Another scandal
The Shohei Ohtani betting scandal has captured the attention of sports fans across the world over the past few weeks. The Los Angeles Dodgers star has found himself at the center of a high-profile story involving his interpreter and an illegal bookmaker in California.
Long story short, Ohtani has accused his former interpreter (who has since been fired by the Dodgers) of committing “massive theft.” If Ohtani is to be believed, Ippei Mizuhara sent $4.5m from Ohtani’s bank account to a bookmaker called Matthew Bowyer for sports betting purposes.
everyone has given their own take on the situation
Whatever the case, everyone has given their own take on the situation. This week, it was the turn of podcast host Joe Rogan, who believes that it could all have something to do with Japanese organized crime group, the Yakuza.
Rogan’s hot take
Just to be clear, there is absolutely no evidence linking Ohtani to any criminal organization, but that didn’t stop Rogan from giving his two cents. Comedian Brian Simpson raised the subject of Ohtani on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, with Rogan immediately referring to him as “the dude who has the gambling problem.”
The podcast host went on to question whether organized crime could be a factor in the scandal. “A little bit of Yakuza action?” Rogan asked, referring to the Japanese organized crime group. Simpson said the theory was “definitely feasible” given that Ohtani’s family is still in Japan, meaning he could be exploited.
He likened the situation to Frank Sinatra
Rogan went on to insinuate that rather than being exploited by the Yakuza, Ohtani “might have a relationship with them.” He likened the situation to Frank Sinatra, who was widely believed to have connections to famous mafia figures of the time despite his consistent denial of any mob connections. Rogan suggested Ohtani may have been protected by the Yakuza.
Whatever the case, Rogan deemed it “a little fishy” that Ohtani didn’t notice $4.5m missing from his bank account.
What happens next?
According to the New York Times, Ohtani’s interpreter is now in negotiations to plead guilty. Law enforcement agents believe they have evidence that Mizuhara could have changed the settings on Ohtani’s bank accounts to gain access, also preventing the baseball star from getting alerts to the payments.
Meanwhile, Ohtani said he has maintained a singular focus on baseball despite the allegations. “When I play baseball, I don’t really think about it,” he told reporters on Monday, adding: “I think basically the skills I’ve acquired playing baseball don’t change, so I trust that first and foremost.”
The Dodgers opened their season against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Monday.