Well, that was tidy. Almost the instant that Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud on Tuesday in Southern California, Major League Baseball pronounced Ohtani completely cleared in the gambling scandal that roiled the sport only months earlier. Case closed.
Interesting timing: On the same morning, MLB announced the suspensions of five players for violating its rules on gambling, including a lifetime ban for one former Major Leaguer whose bets included a few dozen on his own team. (He was injured at the time.)
At any rate, the lords of baseball couldn’t slam shut the book fast enough.
“Based on the thoroughness of the federal investigation that was made public, the information MLB collected, and the criminal proceeding being resolved without being contested, MLB considers Shohei Ohtani a victim of fraud, and this matter has been closed,” the league said in a statement.
Added the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ohtani’s current team: “With today’s plea in the criminal proceedings against Ippei Mizuhara and the conclusion of both federal and MLB investigations, the Dodgers are pleased that Shohei and the team can put this entire matter behind them and move forward in pursuit of a World Series title.”
As for Ohtani himself, “This full admission of guilt (by Mizuhara) has brought important closure to me and my family,” he said in a statement. “I am especially grateful for my support team — my family, agent, agency, lawyers and advisors, along with the entire Dodger organization, who showed endless support throughout this process.”
So that’s it, then?
Here’s my bet: Some in the media would still like a word.
And they should have that.
Mizuhara’s plea agreement effectively echoes what he and his lawyers have already said publicly: The translator got deep into gambling beginning a few years ago, tapped Ohtani’s wealth via bank accounts to place bets and pay down his losses (they’re estimated at nearly $40 million), and stole at least $17 million from Ohtani in all.
There is no suggestion that Ohtani placed any bets, let alone on baseball. Under the terms of his plea deal with the feds, Mizuhara took full responsibility for everything that happened. I should also note that it is not uncommon in sports for athletes to lean on translators in multiple facets of their daily lives, including things like shopping and paying bills, which necessitates access to bank accounts. Prosecutors have portrayed Ohtani as an absolute victim.
But there are still so many questions about the relationship that led to this scandal, how it developed, and how it could possibly be that an international superstar like Ohtani would have no idea that he was being fleeced out of millions and millions of dollars.
Don’t get me wrong: He wouldn’t be the first. It does happen, as the history of pro sports in America can attest. But this remains a multi-layered story in a league that is becoming increasingly international, and MLB’s bosses declaring it over likely won’t be the last word, no matter how hard they wish it could be.
For more detail, I’d suggest keeping an eye on ESPN’s reporting, which has been excellent throughout. For that matter, we should back up a step and give the company its flowers for even continuing to fund a team of reporters who do investigative and deep-dive journalism. Considering the massive cuts to ESPN (via Disney) over the past few years, it’s remarkable they’re still working at this labor-intensive, time-consuming level.
At the risk of overlooking the many other people who’ve worked the story, Tisha Thompson’s reporting for ESPN has been invaluable. I would imagine it will fall to Thompson and her cohorts to continue to ask questions that MLB would rather not see answered, including a more nuanced portrayal of the Ohtani-Mizuhara relationship than has been presented publicly, what the league knew or didn’t know, and how the folks at the top processed and handled the information that came their way.
It’s a huge story, and it didn’t get smaller with Tuesday’s pleading in Orange County, California. And while the point certainly isn’t to trash Ohtani, it also shouldn’t be to cover him in glory.
Good reporters ask questions that sometimes make people uncomfortable. This is one of those times, and the answers to those questions will be fascinating. The book on Ohtani has chapters left to be written.
Mark Kreidler is a national award-winning writer whose work has appeared at ESPN, the New York Times, Washington Post, Time, Newsweek and dozens of other publications. He’s also a sports-talk veteran with stops in San Francisco and Sacramento, and the author of three books, including the bestselling “Four Days to Glory.” More of his writing can be found at https://markkreidler.substack.com. He is also reachable on Twitter @MarkKreidler.
