Los Angeles Dodgers famous person Shohei Ohtani’s longtime Japanese interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was fired after Ohtani’s attorneys accused him of “massive theft” of tens of millions of {dollars} and inserting bets with a bookmaker beneath federal investigation, based on ESPN and the Los Angeles Times, which first reported the story.

The scandal has threatened to overshadow the beginning of MLB’s Opening Day on Thursday, challenged the general public’s understanding of certainly one of baseball’s largest stars, and introduced renewed scrutiny to skilled sports activities’ closeness with playing.

An legal professional for Mathew Bowyer, the previous bookmaker beneath federal investigation associated to playing, stated he by no means met or had “any direct contact” with Ohtani however did do enterprise with Mizuhara.

“Mathew Bowyer never spoke with or emailed with or texted with or had any contact whatsoever with Shohei Ohtani,” the legal professional, Diane Bass informed CNN in an on-camera interview on Saturday.

The legal professional additionally stated Ohtani’s interpreter by no means wager on baseball.

The MLB and the Internal Revenue Service are individually investigating Mizuhara.