“Hot Mic”
Tim Donaghy Says Ohtani Definitely Knew Of Mizuhara’s Actions | Hot Mic With Hutton And Withrow
Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy made an appearance on “Hot Mic with Hutton And Withrow” to talk about the Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal.
In March and April, news broke that Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, had stolen roughly $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar to illegally place sports bets. After a lengthy investigation, it was determined that Ohtani was not involved in any way in the gambling and that Mizuhara was to blame for the whole thing.
But Donaghy, who himself was involved in a massive gambling scandal in the NBA, thinks that Ohtani was likely involved in the betting, and that the MLB did all they could to cover up his involvement in it.
“You look at that guy and what he’s done for baseball globally, and the fans that he’s attracted around the world. The last thing they want is for him to be somebody that was involved in betting on his own games and maybe doing things that he wasn’t supposed to do,” Donaghy said.
“I think that they were very smart to get that under the rug as quickly as possible and say that he had nothing to do with it and basically have this other guy take the fall for everything.”
Los Angeles, California – February 3: Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (right) is assisted by interpreter Ippei Mizuhara during DodgerFest, which celebrates the upcoming season with live entertainment, behind-the-scenes experiences, food and more. speak to the media. , have drinks and meet the newest Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, February 3, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Photo: Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
As part of the investigation, it was also revealed that Mizuhara did not bet on baseball games. But Donaghy also thinks parts of the story are highly unlikely.
“If you look at the amount of money he was betting, obviously he had some kind of addiction, so I don't think he could just stop betting once baseball season came around,” Donaghy said. said.
“There's no doubt in my mind that he was not only betting on baseball, but he was betting on Ohtani's games. And Ohtani knew what he was doing. I think he was right next to me.”
MLB and Ohtani's agent, Nez Valero, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment on Donaghy's comments.
