- Disgraced NBA referee claims Ohtani knew his interpreter was betting: He was right there with him
- Ohtani accused of taking part in his translator's gambling scandal: He knew what he was doing
Former Shohei Ohtani and current Triple-A player for the Atlanta Braves, David Fletcher, is being investigated for betting on sports with The Southern California sportsbook that accepted bets from the Japanese's longtime interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.
It is not only Fletcher who is being investigated, he and his friend Colby Schultz, another former professional baseball player, is also involved in the situation.
Fletcher, who was Ohtani's teammate from 2018 to 2023 and has been described as one of his closest friends in baseball, placed bets at Mathew Bowyer's betting operation, according to sources.
Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, also gambled with Bowyer and ultimately stole nearly $17 million from the Japanese superstar to feed his addiction, according to prosecutors.
David Fletcher's close friend Colby Schultz, who played in the Kansas City Royals system from 2018 to 2020, placed bets on baseball, including on Angels games Fletcher played in while he was with the team, multiple sources said to ESPN. Fletcher bet on several sports, but not baseball, according to multiple sources.
Is David Fletcher linked to Ippei Mizuhara?
David Fletcher told ESPN that he was present at the 2021 poker game in San Diego where Ippei Mizuhara met Mathew Bowyer. Fletcher said he did not introduce the interpreter to the bookie, but that Bowyer gained access to the poker game at the team hotel through an acquaintance of Fletcher's.
Fletcher also told ESPN in March that he had met Bowyer once while playing golf and that he knew Bowyer was a bookie at the time of the poker game. He said he never made a bet with Bowyer's organization, but that remains to be seen.
David Fletcher was in the lineup for Gwinnett's game, the Braves , against the Memphis Redbirds on Friday night, batting second. While his partner in both baseball and betting, Colby Schultz, has not yet been able to be located.