Ohtani Will Address Betting Situation. Will He Provide Clarity?

Shohei Ohtani is set to address the media this afternoon for the first time since his involvement in a sports betting scandal came to light last week. Ohtani will read a statement at 5:45 p.m. ET ahead of the Dodgers’ spring training game against the Angels, but he will reportedly not take any questions.

Over the weekend, MLB said it had begun an investigation into the situation, which has seen Los Angeles fire Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who has since been accused of “massive theft” by lawyers for the star two-way player. Here’s what we know so far:

• Ohtani’s bank account paid $4.5 million to an illegal gambling operation.
• That bookie allegedly let people believe Ohtani himself was a client.
• MLB historians are split on what this could mean for Ohtani and the sport.
• The scandal has exposed the dark side of sports betting in the U.S.
• Gambling-related incidents are becoming more commonplace in sports.

The big question now is: What will Ohtani say? And moving forward, how long will it take for this situation to sort itself out?