Disgraced Former NBA Referee Tim Donaghy: Shohei Ohtani 'Absolutely' Knew About Performer's Gambling Addiction

As Ippei Mizuhara, the former performer for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, deals with the legal issues of his gambling scandal, many are still wondering how much the two-way baseball player knew about it before it all blew up before him. the public.

Before the 2024 regular season began, Ohtani held a press conference, during which no media was allowed to ask questions and said that he had “never” bet on sports and that Mizuhara's claim that Ohtani was paying voluntarily his huge gambling debt was a “complete lie.” lie.”

However, disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy, who went to prison after admitting to betting on games he officiated in many seasons in the early 2000s, doesn't believe Ohtani was clueless about the addiction. to Mizuhara's game.

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Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers speaks to the media at Dodger Stadium on December 14, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

Donaghy made an appearance on OutKick's “Hot Mic,” when he was asked if there was any way Ohtani wouldn't know.

“Hell no,” he replied. “I think Major League Baseball was smart to sweep this under the rug as quickly as possible. If you look at that guy and what he's done for baseball globally and the fans he's attracted around the world, the last thing What they want is for him to be someone who is involved in betting on his own games and maybe doing things he wasn't supposed to do.

“I think they were very smart to cover that up as quickly as possible and say he had nothing to do with it, and basically make this other guy take the blame for everything.”

SHOHEI OHTANI SAYS HE HAS 'NEVER' BET ON SPORTS, CALLS FORMER PERFORMER'S STORY 'COMPLETE LIE'

Donaghy also doesn't believe Mizuhara ever bet on baseball, considering investigators found he placed around 19,000 bets between December 2021 and January 2024, which works out to about 25 per day.

Mizuhara wagered an average of $12,800 per bet, with ranges between $10 and $160,000.

Japanese performer Ippei Mizuhara attends a press conference at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles, California on December 14, 2023. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

“I absolutely believe it,” Donaghy said when asked if he believed Mizuhara bet on baseball. “When you look at the amount of betting he did, he obviously had some kind of addiction. It's not like he could just turn it off when he had baseball seasons. I have no doubt that he not only bet on baseball, he bet on Ohtani's game, and “I think Ohtani was there with him knowing what he was doing.”

MLB and Ohtani agent Nez Balelo did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Donaghy's statement.

Donaghy isn't the only one who believes Ohtani played a role in this. Pete Rose, MLB's all-time hits leader who also has an infamous past in the game, made a surprising comment when the scandal first came to light.

“Well, back in the '70s and '80s, I wish I'd had an interpreter. I'd be blameless,” Rose said in a video posted to social media just days after it all blew up.

Mizuhara is expected to plead guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. She will likely plead guilty sometime in the coming weeks.

Shohei Ohtani, right, of the Los Angeles Dodgers speaks to the media with the help of his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara during DodgerFest, a celebration of the upcoming season featuring live entertainment, behind-the-scenes experiences, food, drinks and meet-and-greets with the Dodgers plus new at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, February 3, 2024. (Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

“The scope of this defendant's deception and theft is enormous,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. “She took advantage of his position of trust to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani and fuel a dangerous gambling habit. My office is committed to vindicating victims throughout our community and ensuring that wrongdoers face justice.”

Estrada added that Mizuhara became Ohtani's “de facto manager” because of how frequent he was in her life. His role in Ohtani's life led to him having access to her bank accounts, being able to withdraw money to fund his gambling habits.

During an investigation, federal authorities discovered that Mizuhara stole approximately $17 million, which he must return to Ohtani as a condition of the plea deal.

“I have never bet on baseball or any other sport, nor have I ever asked anyone to do so on my behalf,” Ohtani said through a new interpreter before the Dodgers' final spring training game. “And I never went to a bookmaker to bet on sports.