One Shohei Ohtani gambling conspiracy theory has already been debunked

Shohei Ohtani went all-in against his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, who the Dodgers two-way star claims stole $4.5 million from him in an effort to pay off gambling debts.

“Up until that team meeting,” Ohtani said, “I didn’t know that Ippei had a gambling addiction and was in debt. Ippei has been stealing money from my account, and has told lies."

Ohtani went on to say he never approved any such payments, as summed up by FanSided MLB Insider Robert Murray.

“I never agreed to pay off the debt or make any payments to the bookmaker,” Ohtani added, adding that he never met or heard of Matthew Bowyer, who is the target of a federal investigation for running an illegal bookmaking operation in Southern California. 

While many questions remain from Ohtani's statement, after which he took no questions from the media, at least one of those has been debunked. How could Mizuhara take that kind of money from Ohtani's account without him or his financial team noticing? The answer to that is simpler than it seems.

Yes, Ippei Mizuhara could have had access to Shohei Ohtani's bank account

On a Japanese TV station, former interpreter Katsunori Kojima -- who worked for the Mets and Giants -- explained that those in his position often help with player finances.

Players from international markets are often weary of interacting with native English speakers on finance or other delicate matters, Kojima added. This can include banking, credit card applications, taxes, and car payments.

Kojima also said that interpreters rarely have access to all the players' funds, but instead just one account they can help the player pull from when necessary. This may have been what occurred with Ohtani and Mizuhara, assuming the former's story is true.

Fans are right to poke holes in Ohtani's story. The recollection of events is sketchy, to say the least, and makes Mizuhara look like the fall guy. For now, though, Ohtani has done enough to earn the benefit of the doubt -- at least until Mizuhara or the feds suggest otherwise.