LOS ANGELES - A U.S. sports investigative reporter has warned that the illegal gambling scandal involving Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter could recur in professional sports, as she released a series of podcast stories on the case.
"As long as you have young athletes...making a lot of money, there will always be people who are trying to take advantage of that," Tisha Thompson, an ESPN reporter who interviewed Ippei Mizuhara when the scandal broke in March 2024, told Kyodo News.
Mizuhara, 41, initially told the U.S. sports news outlet that Ohtani had made payments to cover the interpreter's gambling debts, but a day later he changed his story, saying he had stolen the money and Ohtani knew nothing about it.
Thompson said she still questions what was true in her over one-hour interview with Mizuhara, who is serving a prison sentence after being convicted of stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani.
While Mizuhara admitted to a "terrible gambling addiction" and showed "obvious guilt," Thompson said she thought he was lying to her.
Although federal authorities recognized Ohtani as a victim in the case, Thompson pointed to a gap between how the scandal was perceived in Japan and the United States.
The reporter noted that while skepticism toward Ohtani was limited in Japan from the outset, many in the United States remained doubtful.
She said those doubts reflect a long history of gambling-related scandals in U.S. sports, especially baseball, in which players deceived the public.
Thompson added that Mizuhara's shifting account meant "no matter how many times they say Shohei is innocent, people don't believe them because of the interview that Ippei did."
The ESPN reporter said while she did not know if it was typical in Japan, "Almost every other American athlete who's been caught up in something, whether they were guilty or not, has had to answer questions."
She said she continues to seek an interview with Ohtani.
Ohtani went on to achieve the first 50-homer, 50-steal season in Major League Baseball history during a turbulent 2024 campaign.
Thompson said other athletes would have "crumpled under the pressure and the spotlight," but Ohtani did the opposite.
"He somehow blocked out the noise and didn't just perform. He performed in a way no one has ever performed before," she said.
Thompson released the podcast series, "The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani," from late July through early August.
