WATCH: Ippei Mizuhara's father allegedly sends away journalist seeking comment on his son's gambling scandal

Ippei Mizuhara worked as Shohei Ohtani's interpreter since 2017 after being hired by the Los Angeles Angels. Mizuhara has been by Ohtani's hip ever since, helping him with various things in the superstar's life.

It is alleged that Mizuhara had come into a great deal of debt with a bookie in California. On Wednesday, he was fired after questions surrounding an alleged $4.5 million in bank transfers from Ohtani's bank account to an illegal bookmaker.

Initially, it was reported that Ohtani allegedly transferred the money to help his friend get out of debt. However, another story was reported later, denying that the money came from Ohtani willingly and that he was the target of theft.

With people trying to get to the bottom of the story, the Mizuhara family faces scrutiny. Allegedly, a journalist from Fuji TV spoke with Ippei Mizuhara's father about his son's gambling, which the father did not have much to say.

"I don't know anything. Back" stated Mr. Mizuhara.

Mr. Mizuhara then allegedly sent the journalist on their way without getting a clear answer. With the recent news, this is likely not the first time media members have tried to contact the Mizuhara family.

The Ippei Mizuhara situation is a wild one

Shohei Ohtani Ippei Mizuhara (Image via Getty)

Mizuhara started gambling back in 2021 and would place wagers on international soccer matches and other sports but never baseball. Betting on the sport while working within the MLB is strictly prohibited.

When the story was first reported by ESPN, a spokesperson for Shohei Ohtani stated the slugger allegedly transferred the funds over covering Ippei Mizuhara's debt. Later, Ohtani's lawyers got involved and issued a statement saying he was the victim of theft.

There is no telling which, or if any of the stories are actually true. After the initial report, both sides have stayed quiet about the topic.

It is likely that once Ohtani's legal team entered the picture, they backtracked on the original story as it could get Ohtani in some trouble. While sports gambling is increasingly becoming more available, it is still illegal in California.

Rob Manfred could discipline Ohtani for his part in the situation, even if he were not the one gambling. However, with how much Ohtani has done for the game, it could be difficult.

This is certainly not the way Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers wanted to start their season. This story will not go away until the truth comes out, in which the league has started their own investigation.