SoCal university denies that Ippei Mizuhara ever attended there

Dec 14, 2023; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Ippei Mizuhara, the translator for Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, during an introductory press conference at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Ippei Mizuhara story is taking another strange twist.

Speaking this week with Helen Jeong of NBC Los Angeles, a spokesperson for UC Riverside addressed Mizuhara, the ex-interpreter for Shohei Ohtani. Mizuhara is facing allegations of theft and illegal gambling, and many media reports on the situation mentioned him as a graduate of UC Riverside. The spokesperson for the school denied this though, telling NBC Los Angeles that there were no records of Mizuhara ever attending the school.

The Boston Red Sox also came out with a statement this week denying that Mizuhara ever had any links to them (a claim that had also been circulated in the media).

Mizuhara is being accused of a massive theft of Ohtani’s money that he allegedly used to pay off his gambling debts to an illegal bookie. Ohtani’s representatives have reportedly contacted law enforcement to investigate the supposed theft. Major League Baseball also announced this weekend that they are opening an investigation into both Mizuhara and Ohtani.