Pardon The Interruption’s Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon give their thoughts on Shohei Ohtani’s press conference denying wrongdoing in an alleged $4.5M theft and payment to a sports book, and, Toronto Raptors C Jontay Porter under investigation by the NBA following multiple instances of betting irregularities.
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Begin today with SH Otani categorically denying he has ever bet on sports or bet with a bookie Otani accused his former friend and interpreter epe mizuhara of stealing his money in the amount of $4.5 million to cover mizar’s own gambling debts with an illegal bookmaker wilbon what questions do you still
Have Tony I as I told you yesterday you know I’m really reticent on this story intentionally so CU I don’t know sh atani I mean there are a lot of athletes who’ve lost a lot of money in their lives and I don’t know whether it was
Necessarily betting but I I know some of them and I don’t know what the questions are in their lives and I followed all their lives some of them since high school I don’t know aani nothing about him really other than he’s a great baseball player in a way that hardly
Anybody’s nobody’s ever been so I hear the categorical denials and I’m like okay like how am I supposed to question that what what what what is it that I’m supposed to doubt what is it that I’m supposed to be cynical about I don’t have those because I don’t have any
Sense of Otani and what he is Tony something strike me here and a couple are people will say well wait a minute how do people close to athletes of this magnitude how do they get access to their money and you and I both know people who have had the magnitude of
Otani maybe not this much money but people had access and in real time years and decades ago you and I would go oh my God how did how did this happen how did they get they do get access cuz athletes have to trust people they figure are more sophisticated and savvy than they
Are and they’re often insecure and they are young and they are not sophisticated and they turn these things over to people whether it’s friend or advisor or whatever and so Tony knowing that as a backdrop in general I don’t know what to think about I still don’t and I don’t know that I
Will if he holds 10 more press conferences in 10 days yeah so I have this one question is Otani telling the truth I want to believe that he’s telling the truth I want to believe that he is the victim of a sting here I want to believe that but
I wanted to believe that Alex Rodriguez did not take peeds when he said to the whole country I never had these things and I wanted to believe that Ryan Brun did not take peeds right and I wanted to believe that Nick Sabin when he told me to my face categorically he was not
Leaving the Miami Dolphins for Alabama but in each one of those cases I found out that that was not to be the case maybe this time it is the case maybe Otani is telling the complete truth I agree with you that it hinges on access to bank accounts and you would
Automatically say well it’s crazy but I think it’s credible as you think it’s credible that Otani had this one trusted friend and interpreter who was basically with him 24 hours a day and and so so he gave him this because he was the gatekeeper so I do find that credible
And that’s why I sort of Hope and this this gave this gave eepe this gave him opportunity and motive because he owed $4.5 million so right you know I I I don’t I’m not certain at this point and I’ll go back to something I’ve said on
This show many times that all of these sports leagues and this network have gotten into Partnerships with gambling concerns we’re going there and and grazes the line between what’s right and what’s wrong to me we have a separate betting story in basketball the NBA is reportedly investigating Raptor Center
Jonte Porter over betting irregularities on January 26 and March 20 prop bets involving the under on Porter’s own stats were the biggest money winners of the night on Draft Kings in both these games Porter left play after just minutes tone to Double Down how does this sound to
You well it sounds like there is a lot of circumstantial evidence here as you say there are these two games he gets out of one by saying he has an illness he gets out of another by saying he’s injured he’s on the court so his stati statistics matter and they are under the
Bets that you can make and then we hear that it’s reported that a lot of people went out there and really stepped on these bets okay made a lot of money on Mr Porter for those two nights and so to me it suggest the possibility that either Porter was working with gamblers
Or on his own or both because it feels suspicious to me look um I don’t know him the way you don’t know Otani here’s here’s he’s a two-way contract guy he’s making $450,000 a year and he’s sitting in a locker room with a lot of people making
20 and 30 times as much maybe that influences him and unlike sh Otani he doesn’t have this sort of bright light of recognition and stardom so maybe what he says might be doubted a little bit I don’t know that’s what it sounds like I’m glad you went through the details of
This I’m glad you did what you did covered very well cuz I’m going to go in a different direction we’re going to have one of these stories every week every week because this is what the leagues and the networks including this one have wrought they have gotten into
Bed with gambling interests they have partnered they have decided to make hundreds of millions of dollars and it’ll I’m sure total billions in the future with gamblers with sports gambling they decided this Tony and so I am not upset at any of these guys I understand that all the players in in
These sessions before season no if this player essentially threw the game you’re not upset Ton Tony I’m more upset with the people above him who encourage it they don’t just encourage it they don’t just tolerate it they say hey what what did Rudy Gober do what did he
Do let’s deal with the reality of this money people in charge of these leagues and networks have said bring it to us let’s just go to the side for a second on this the NBA has a problem I believe with the possibility of fixing games they had a referee in recent years who
Was accused of fixing games the Rudy goar incident that you mentioned he was saying that another referee was fixing calls in order to make money and now they have a player who may have tilted the game in a way away from the honesty and integrity of the game Mike yesterday
I sat here and I said this could be Rob manford’s worst professional day because he was looking at maybe a Pete Rose thing with show hotani I’ll just change names to Adam Silver what if he finds out that he’s got players out there who are altering the game to fit their needs
And not the game Tony I don’t disagree with the word you said I’m just saying the biggest problem ain’t the players don’t tell me the face of this problem which could be a very serious one you and I agree is some dude named jonte who if in uniform you and I couldn’t
Identify if you walked in the studio don’t tell me he’s the biggest problem the leagues and the networks who’ve agreed to be in bed with gambling they’re the biggest problem and we’re going to have stories like this all the time all the time I don’t think John
Porter is going to be playing for the rest of the year I don’t if they’re investigating this I don’t think he’ll be out there again
46 Comments
Ye
A great start to the 2024 season!
As i get an Ad for ESPN Bet.
“If we get caught, you’re taking the blame” Ohtani
You have no marbles!!!!Huevos?!?
Pure facts being told in this video, props for releasing it
Shoutout to Wilbon to calling like it is despite the financial interests of the network that pays him.
I refuse to believe it's always the lower level players getting busted for betting. I think they're just making examples outta these guys and protecting other guys who make the league more money.
MainStream Media are ALWAYS TOLD WHAT TO SAY n if you dont believe them then YOU ARE WEIRD OR A CONSPIRACY THEORIST HTF DOES THAT MAKE SENSE
Gambling is going to be a HUGE national mental health economic crime problem. These gambling companies have made deals with colleges for on campus events. This is going to get out of control with in 5 years. It will be the economic equivalent of the opioid epidemic.
Pete Rose needs to be in the HOF now that pro sports support gambling.
6:00 (plus) This is the story…
WOOOOO!!!!! Steenbergen's book on display!
Ippei took the fall
I want to know why Ohtani’s publicist and other handlers arranged an interview with ESPN for Ohtani’s INTERPRETER and allowed him to implicate Ohtani in a pay off to an illegal bookie, without first talking to Ohtani, their billion dollar client? Not a call? A text? They didn’t think Gee, this seems kind of important, maybe we should run it but the person that pays us. That strains credulity.
Fellas, thanks for having a backbone and pointing out how professional leagues may be compromised. Didn't think ESPN would allow this view to be aired at all.
I'd care a lot more if betting wasn't funding sports and sports media right now. Bets should be localized by state and a soft ban on betting ads. Tone it way down. Money doesnt need to just go to a few companies. Should be a few companies in each state.
Who signed the bank wire request and what bank official approved it? $500K wire transfer isn't handled by a low level bak official.
Anyone feel like getting rid of player prop bets might be a partial solution? Just betting team point totals, wins and losses and which team wins each quarter? I know it will probably never come to that but if there is fear of players being improper, getting rid of player prop bets might help allieviate the issue while keeping gambling
I can imagine that it's difficult for most Americans who do not know Ohtani's history and upbringing in Japan, including how he was even at the Angels, to believe fully what Ohtani explained is believable and truth. But as a Japanese who has followed him in Japan and as he moved to MLB, I can attest to that what he said is 100% believable.
Ohtani since he was a young boy was very focused with specific goals set and worked diligently on the path to achieving them. His parents and especially his mother was instrumental in providing the support he needed so that he can focus 100% on his tasks, baseball. There have been documentaries on TV on Ohtani as well as his appearances as a guest on TV shows in Japan in which Ohtani explained that his mother took 100% control of his money (all income and expenses including the dealings with his accountant). She gave Ohtani monthly allowance of a little sum of money. Ohtani used team dormitory and team meals 100% to focus on baseball. This is how he lived in Japan as a NPB player. Ohtani is known to be frugal and does not spend money like normal pro athletes do. He is not interested in fashion, clothing, shoes, and cars, and not interested in tangible material stuff. Again, this is very well known fact about him in Japan.
Ippei Mizuhara was smart in that he put himself in the position with Ohtani to take care of all of his personal duties out side of baseball so that Ohtani can just focus on baseball as he did in Japan. The identical set up that he had with his mother. Ippei was a perfect man for it and Ohtani trusted him 100%. So in this context, Ippei had this role for Ohtani since he moved to the USA to become a MLB player. Ippei is not just a translator for Ohtani. Ippei was essentially Ohtani's personal caretaker, personal assistant, consultant, butler, driver, and shopper and managed all aspects of Ohtani’s life outside of baseball, tasked to set him up in the USA. He therefore had helped him open his bank accounts, managed his finances and his accountants, had access to Ohtani's bank accounts and was helping him setting up all the payables, bills for his expenses etc etc. Don't forget, and sadly, Ohtani has no experience managing his own money in the past, he is also oblivious to all the living expenses especially in the USA. Ippei was the perfect friend and paid worker for him to do these tasks. In this set up, Ippei can easily transfer Ohtani's money, even 4.5 million without Ohtani knowing (again, Ohtani has been very naive, trusting and indifferent about money matters, except that he knows that he has been getting 50 to 75 million per year on endorsements and baseball contracts even in the past years, so 4.5 million divided into nine separate transfer may not be so significant in this light and could not be noticeable if he was trusting Ippei to manage) Personal income taxes are lower in the USA than in Japan so who knows, Ohtani would not miss 4.5 million based on his income. Agent is there to deal with the baseball contracts and he is not Japanese so he would not have known his personal contents. This is why Ippei is said to have been paid upwards of $400,000 per year to work for Ohtani, where as a regular personal translator working 9 to 5 is paid $150,000ish for a pro-athlete.
Don't forget that Ippei was in all communications between Ohtani and his team members, including the team management, spokesperson, and lawyers, essentially every non-Japanese speaker on his side, which is everyone except Yamamoto and Ippei. Ippei was in a perfect position to manipulate all information and communications.
So you guys take a rest on speculating and jumping to conclusion about Ohtani in this situation. Eventually the investigation will shed a better light on what I am talking about.
Preach!
I wanted to see how ohtani would be cleared kuz he is basically the face of BB. And he helps MLB internationally. Soo his buddy says he had "no knowledge of what he was doing".
Thank you Wilbon this Ohtani situation is getting ridiculous he had nothing to do with this he is absolutely telling the truth and is innocent…that nba guy on the other hand is unequivocally guilty and should be charged as such
I’m sorry but this is ridiculous. Ohtani get’s the benefit of the doubt? Because he doesn’t speak English? So now we can make the NBA the face of the problem.
I have zero doubts the NBA, through their refs, does their best to arrange the outcome of games, especially in the playoffs. Scott Foster is a total crook! No doubt!!
How did he get access to the account and how did no one notice 9 separate $500,000 transactions? Why did the bookie allow someone to become indebted $4.5Million who may not be able to pay him? Why did the translator say to ESPN that Shohei gave him the money, then the next night was in the dugout smiling and laughing with him and the Dodgers. Only for them to not challenge/change the story to theft a day later. There are a lot of things in this story that need clarification.
At this point, I am also worried of Ippei. Does anyone know where he is right now?
Gambling is a real problem now. It’s advertised everywhere by everyone. A guy in my class was gambling on baseball and he never watched a game. The chance to win 100k off of 100 is enticing to anyone
Shohei is not interested in money or gambling. When he was in Japan, his parents managed his salary, and he didn't know how much he had in his bank account because his parents sent him only 800 dollars every month. He spent only a small portion of the 800. In the U.S., Ippei, in stead of Shohei's parents, was taking care of Shohei, like a baby, especially because Shohei only wanted to concentrate on baseball and become the best player. Furthermore, he is not good at English. He can handle simple daily conversations but cannot understand or espresso his views on something complex in English. It's much more difficult to do things in a foreign language than people imagine. Many of my colleagues in Japan are from English-speaking countries. Although they have been in Japan for ages, they are still unable to function well in Japanese society. Many of them are so ignorant due to the language barrier, and their Japanese spouses and friends do everything for them as if they were babies. So, I cannot blame Ohtani.
I doubt Ippei had total access to Ohtani's money. I am assuming he had an expense account with some number of millions in it that Ohtani entrusted Ippei with to do everything from donating millions to schools in Japan to buying a car for his teammate. An expense account with $10 million in it for bills and charity would be like a $1,000 in petty cash that a company assigns a team leader.
Unless his interpreter is a multi millionaire its impossible to rack up millions in gambling debt no one will extend that line of credit. Only way story is true is if shohei approved the funds transfer to even place such bets…but that contradicts his statement
Ohtani is not being honest here. How does his translator able to access his personal finances? But I understand, the MLB wants to sweep this under the rug because he is a TV ratings megastar.
Tony for the win!!
What djonte did was nothing short of insider trading which is illegal. If there is no integrity in the game itself it’s useless to even have sports betting bc then that means snyone can fix the game.
The pundit will tell us that there is nothing to see here, that we don't understand how athletes live. Very myopic view of the situation. Sports media is like political media, they are there to repeat the truth they want until we accept it.
These prop bets are ripe for two way players to take advantage of. Although the over/under for total points scored in a season for Giannis’ brother is eight.
Tooooooooo many questions. Does anyone know anyone who gambles at this level?
Persons who have that kind of wealth look after it.
Where is the Ohtani representative or agent?
Rodrigues is a known womanizer 😂😂😂
Ohtani gave up $200M to play mlb 2yrs before he’s eligible for international transfer 😂😂😂😂
He’s not American and he doesn’t think like a greedy American.
Amazing take fellas!! So many stupid people saying just senseless things on this scandal.. you guys always so logical
If he sole the money from Ohtani, WHERE IS THE ARREST WARRANT ON HIM???
Porter is the player that got caught (if indeed he is found guilty). Don't tell me he was the only one out there that was trying to make money for himself or others using those means. But he will be the one that gets thrown under the bus cause he ain't a big name player (just like the NBA insisting there isn't a doping problem in the NBA but we know they don't check players in the offseason for a reason)
Who know legalization of sport betting might create some issues
I love these two. Such great vibes
The bottom line is that Ohtani must be the dumbest person alive for using his own name on the transaction NINE TIMES.