Shohei Ohtani has been pulled into a scandal involving $4.5 million in gambling debt with his ... [+]
The story involving Shohei Ohtani’s former translator Ippei Mizuhara and an illegal gambling operation run by bookmaker Mathew Bowyer in Orange County, CA gets crazier by the second. Mizuhara has admitted to being $4.5 million in gambling debt and that money to pay it off came through Ohtani. The news has rocked the sports world given Major League Baseball’s history with gambling dating back as far as the 1919 White Sox scandal. Based on a particular set of rules, what happens to Ohtani is made very clear based on what is eventually discovered through federal, IRS, and MLB investigations.
Called Rule 21, MLB makes it clear how players (as well as umpires, club and league officials) involved in gambling are to be disciplined. Given that MLB and the players have a collective bargaining agreement, the MLBPA has to be made abreast of MLB’s investigation. Ohtani held a press conference on Monday in which he spoke about the incident in which he said, “On a personal note, I’m very saddened and shocked that someone who I trusted has done this,” in reference to Mizuhara allegedly accessing Ohtani’s banking information to pay off gambling debt.
Based on Rule 21, here are the four possible outcomes for Ohtani.
Ohtani Is Found To Be The Victim Of Theft
What Ohtani said and how he said it is critical to what the potential outcomes are. He said nothing that would provide any wiggle room; there was no “to the best of my knowledge” or “to the best of my recollection” which would have given him some sort of leeway if involved with betting on sports through an illegal bookmaker or paying off the debt of Mizuhara.
“I never bet on baseball or any other sports or never have asked somebody to do that on my behalf,” Ohtani said. “And I have never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports.”
He added that until a team meeting after Game 1 of the series between the Dodgers and Padres in Seoul, South Korea, he was unaware of what was occurring with Mizuhara. “Up until that team meeting, I didn’t know that Ippei had a gambling addiction and was in debt,” Ohtani said.
Based on the current state of the investigations, Ohtani will continue to play for the Dodgers. As he said in the press conference on Monday, “I’m looking forward to focusing on the season.”
If the investigation shows that, as Ohtani has said, he’s the victim of a crime, there would be no penalty. If anything he becomes a more sympathetic figure. Already guarded, it’s likely that he will become more so if taken advantage of by someone in his inner circle that he believed was a close friend.
Ohtani Is Found To Wager On Sports, But Not Baseball
Should the investigations find that Mizuhara was somehow a conduit for Ohtani to wager on sports that did not include baseball, then Rule 21 states that it is at the discretion of commissioner Rob Manfred to levy an undisclosed amount in the form of a fine.
“[Any player] who places bets with illegal book makers, or agents for illegal book makers, shall be subject to such penalty as the Commissioner deems appropriate in light of the facts and circumstances of the conduct.”
There’s recent precedence for this. In 2015, Miami Marlins pitcher Jarred Cosart was found to have gambled on sports, that did not include baseball. As Ohtani has said of cooperating with any investigation, so too did Cosart.
Ohtani Is Found To Have Bet On Sports And Worked For An Illegal Bookmaker
This scenario has not surfaced, but it’s worth raising as the Ippei Mizuhara matter seems to get wilder by the second. Rule 21 talks of a scenario in which someone works directly for an illegal bookmaker. In that instance, a suspension is a penalty.
“Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee who operates or works for an illegal bookmaking business shall be subject to a minimum of a one-year suspension by the Commissioner. For purposes of this provision, an illegal bookmaker is an individual who accepts, places or handles wagers on sporting events from members of the public as part of a gaming operation that is unlawful in the jurisdiction in which the bets are accepted.”
Again, this seems like a scenario not involved in this case. Mizuhara is the one directly involved and bets were placed with Bowyer where the alleged debt occurred.
Ohtani Is Found To Have Wagered On Sports, Including Baseball
Should the dueling investigations find that Ohtani not only wagered on sports but that it included baseball, there are two possible ways it could go.
If Ohtani were found to bet on baseball but it did not include the Angels or Dodgers for which he played, then he “shall be declared ineligible for one year.“
If Ohtani were found to have bet on baseball, and it included games he participated in or teams he played for, then he runs into what Pete Rose has with Rule 21.
“Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shall be declared permanently ineligible.”
This would be the worst of all outcomes. Ohtani would go from being the face of Major League Baseball and its biggest superstar to an outcast unable to play in the league. Given what has happened with Rose and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, there seems little to think that reinstatement would occur.
The Damage – Or Lack Thereof – To Ohtani As A Brand
Shohei Ohtani has made millions through sponsorship agreements in the U.S. and abroad. He has been seen as a “unicorn” of sorts due to his abilities as a hitter and pitcher. How the matter involving the investigation unfolds could affect him in different ways. If, as he is claiming, he is the victim of a crime, he should come out of the scandal unscathed. At the moment, there is the presumption of innocence so in the here and now, no current sponsor agreements will be affected.
Should he be found to have paid the gambling debt of Mizuhara then the fine would be light and Ohtani comes off as a naïve at best. There would be the press conference in which any discovery that he was ultimately involved somehow becomes lies, dinging his standing. It’s doubtful that contracts could be severed, but future sponsorship agreements in the near term would be affected.
The Nuclear Scenario – Ohtani gambles in some capacity — could derail some deals. He would assuredly keep his contract with the Dodgers if the wagering does not include baseball. If baseball is involved, then seeking to exit contracts — including his record deal with the Dodgers — would come into play. The MLBPA may or may not push back at that point but it would largely be incumbent on the details of the investigation.
