Shohei Ohtani claims that he has never gambled on sports and charges the interpreter with “stealing money.”

Baseball star Shohei Ohtani, who has been the subject of increasing scrutiny due to a theft and gambling scandal, vehemently denied paying a bookmaker or placing bets on any sport on Monday. Instead, he blamed his former interpreter, who he claimed was stealing money from his account.

Ohtani, who signed baseball’s richest contract during the offseason with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team favorite in the World Series, told reporters that until he met with his longtime interpreter Ippei Mizuhara one-on-one five days ago following a team meeting in the clubhouse that left the slugger-pitcher thinking something was amiss, he had no idea that money, allegedly millions of dollars, was being sent from one of his bank accounts to a bookmaker.

The only two-way player in major league baseball, Ohtani, expressed his amazement and sadness over the actions of a trusted person in a statement that Dodgers staffer Will Ireton translated into English.

These were Ohtani’s first public words since the issue surfaced last week. Usually, he avoids media interviews. He acknowledged that the federal and league investigations were still underway and that he was limited in what he could say.

Before an exhibition game against their local rivals, the Los Angeles Angels, on Monday at Dodger Stadium, Ohtani told reporters, “I never bet on baseball or any other sports or have never asked somebody to do it on my behalf and I have never gone through a bookmaker to bet on sports.”

The controversy has raised questions about the public’s perception of one of baseball’s top stars, threatened to overshadow the opening of MLB Opening Day on Thursday, and renewed attention has been paid to the relationship between professional sports and gambling.

Major League Baseball is looking into the situation in an effort to ascertain whether any of its severe regulations prohibiting gambling have been broken. The Internal Revenue Service is also looking into the situation. A gambler who bets on a baseball game in which they are involved can face a lifelong suspension; a player or employee who bets on baseball faces a yearlong suspension. A person who bets with a bookie and ventures outside of authorized sports betting establishments may also face penalties from MLB’s commissioner.

MLB values Rule 21 so highly that each clubhouse must have a poster of it.

Though it’s unknown who started the transactions, ESPN’s Tisha Thompson claimed on CNN’s “The Lead” last week that at least $4.5 million had been taken out of Ohtani’s bank accounts by wire transfer, citing numerous anonymous sources.

Ohtani’s lawyers have not explained how they think the money was taken, which has raised more concerns about the issue that surfaced during Ohtani’s highly anticipated debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers last week in South Korea.

With the Angels, Ohtani won the American League MVP twice in the previous three seasons while playing as a pitcher and designated hitter. This offseason, he inked an unprecedented 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers.

After the Dodgers game, Ohtani claims to have learned about the translator’s debt from gambling.

Last week, while the Dodgers were in South Korea, the scandal erupted. Ohtani’s attorneys had been accusing Mizuhara of “massive theft” of millions of dollars and of placing wagers with a federally under investigation bookmaker, according to reports from ESPN and the Los Angeles Times. While the team was in Seoul, Mizuhara was let go.

Ohtani claimed on Monday that he was made aware of the problem on March 20, during a discussion the team had in the clubhouse following the Dodgers’ opening game in South Korea against the San Diego Padres. Ohtani claimed that despite not having a “translator on my side” and that the team meeting was conducted in English, he sensed a problem.

He claimed that he and Mizuhara had a one-on-one meeting at the club’s hotel. Ohtani claimed that prior to that point, he was unaware of Mizuhara’s debt and gambling addiction.

“I discovered he had a significant debt when we spoke,” Ohtani remarked. “Ippei (Mizuhara) acknowledged that he was transferring funds to the bookmaker from my account.”

According to the celebrity, the translator had informed the press and Ohtani’s agents that the player had settled gambling debts on behalf of a pal. Ohtani claimed he was unaware of the questions from the media.

Ohtani stated that he will assist with the investigations, let his lawyers handle the scandal and legal matters, and concentrate on playing baseball with his new team. He batted second on Monday as the designated hitter in the lineup against the Angels.

Mizuhara is the subject of separate investigations by the Internal Revenue Service and Major League Baseball.

In a press release last week, officials stated, “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media.” “Our Department of Investigations started their official investigation process earlier today.”

Both Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer are under investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles Field Office, IRS spokesman Scott Villiard told CNN on Friday.

According to bankruptcy court filings, Bowyer, a former bookmaker from California, owed $425,000 in gambling debt more than ten years ago.

According to MLB.com, Ohtani and Mizuhara initially collaborated in 2013–2017, during which time Mizuhara worked as a translator for Ohtani’s team in the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan, the Nippon-Ham Fighters. In his debut MLB season, Ohtani urged Mizuhara to accompany him when he signed with the Angels in 2018. Mizuhara eventually accompanied the star player to the Dodgers.