Is The Shohei Ohtani Gambling Story Believable? An Insider Perspective

The story of Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter's gambling problem is still dominating the baseball world. For good reason. 

It's a fascinating story, with a number of inconsistencies and details that deservedly cast doubt on the "official" version of events. Video from the Los Angeles Dodgers dugout from the ninth inning of Wednesday's game in South Korea also raised questions, considering the pair's longtime friendship.

READ: Video In Dodgers Dugout Casts Doubt On Shohei Ohtani Interpreter Story

Initially, Ohtani's interpreter Ippei Mizuhara claimed in an interview with ESPN that after revealing his gambling addiction, Ohtani had agreed to help him out by paying his $4.5 million worth of gambling debts. That story changed though by the next day, with Ohtani's lawyers saying he'd been the victim of massive "theft."

That's raised legitimate questions about how possible it'd be for someone to siphon off that much money without his boss's knowledge. And based on experience in mildly similar situations, I can tell you that it's a lot easier than one might expect.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers at bat in the second inning during an exhibition game between Los Angeles Dodgers and Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome on March 17. (Photo by Masterpress/Getty Images)

Is Shohei Ohtani A Victim Of ‘Theft?’

There's no way to know exactly what kind of financial relationship Ohtani and Ippei had without direct knowledge. And considering the stakes and ramifications, it's likely we may never get more direct knowledge without authorities demanding it.

But from the outside, as someone with experience working for extremely wealthy individuals, I have seen that it is stunningly easy for those close to their employers to have or gain access to financial accounts. Especially when that relationship is as close as Ohtani and Mizuhara's.

Mizuhara was more than an interpreter, according to reports, he was a friend, confidant, advisor and right-hand man to Ohtani. Someone with that level of involvement would almost certainly have access to bank accounts, passwords, and other extremely sensitive private financial information. It's even possible, if not likely, that Ippei would have handled paying bills, had access to credit cards, or made major transactions for Ohtani. Especially because of the language barrier for Ohtani.

Even if Ohtani had a business manager handling his money, it's possible, given Ohtani's schedule and fame, that Ippei could have been involved in signing off on checks or wire transfers. For wealthy people with limited time, attention spans and little awareness or interest in day-to-day responsibilities, employees often forge signatures on checks, give vocal permission posing as their boss, or work with business managers to handle transactions separately. 

Did That Happen Here?

We have no idea what really happened in this instance. There are, of course, a few possibilities:

• Ohtani has a gambling problem, with Mizuhara the middle/fall guy.
• Mizuhara gambled his way into massive debt, and Ohtani paid it off, with neither realizing the implications of their actions.
• Mizuhara did, in fact, use Ohtani's accounts to pay the debt without Ohtani's knowledge.

That third possibility likely seems unrealistic to many, but some new information released on Thursday afternoon may lend it some credence. 

ESPN's Tisha Thompson, who broke more details of the story, including Mizuhara's change in story, said that "an LA official" claimed that Ohtani only found out about the missing money during Mizuhara's postgame clubhouse confession. 

A follow-up post said that Ohtani had to go to a translator to confirm a statement during the meeting from owner Mark Walter saying that he'd paid off Ippei's debts. Thompson also revealed in a story that sources told her that Ohtani's reps have asked law enforcement authorities to investigate, as well as explain why there was a discrepancy between the two accounts.

According to Thompson, Ohtani's reps initially relied entirely on Mizuhara's account, before the postgame clubhouse confession made Ohtani realize what was happening.

That doesn't fully settle it though; why would Ippei lie about what happened in a private, Dodgers-organization only setting with Ohtani sitting right in front of him? 

But then again, that may be exactly what he did. And Ohtani may have only realized after the game that he'd been taken advantage of. It seems impossible, but with experience in settings with extremely rich people who hand over control of the details of their life to others, I think it's a lot more realistic than you'd expect.