Shohei Ohtani says he 'never bet on baseball' in first remarks since Ippei Mizuhara accusations

Before either The Times or ESPN published stories on the scandal, however, both the unnamed Ohtani spokesperson and Mizuhara himself recanted that account of the events to ESPN, the outlet reported. Instead, last Wednesday, the West Hollywood law firm Berk Brettler, which has also been representing Ohtani, made its claim that, "In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft."

Later that day, Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers during the team's season-opening series in Seoul.

In the week since, both Major League Baseball and the Internal Revenue Service opened their own investigations into the situation, in addition to the ongoing federal investigation into Bowyer's alleged operation.

Ohtani, who had declined to comment to reporters multiple times amid the firestorm of the scandal, finally said on Sunday afternoon that he would talk Monday.

"I think it's the right thing to do," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday when he learned of Ohtani's plans to address the situation publicly. "I'm happy he's going to speak, speak to what he knows and give his thoughts on the whole situation. I think it'll give us a little bit more clarity."

Ohtani, the two-way talent and two-time most valuable player who signed a record $700-million contract this offseason, is still set to be in the Dodgers lineup for the team's home opener Thursday afternoon against the St. Louis Cardinals. He is still expected to play a key role on the field this season, hoping to help the Dodgers fulfill their World Series expectations after the team spent more than $1.2 billion total this past offseason on player acquisitions.

However, his off-the-field saga is now looming over the team's campaign — amplifying the intensity of the public spotlight the club finds itself under.

"We've shown over the years that we continue to move forward," Roberts said of his team's ability to handle external distractions, having dealt with off-field situations such as Trevor Bauer's suspension, Julio Urías' arrest and uproar over a team award for the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in recent years. "Not to be insensitive for various situations, but we all understand we have jobs to do."

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