Rich Eisen Recaps the Fascinating 37-Page Federal Case Against Ex-Ohtani Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara

Rich Eisen reacts to the 37-page complaint filed by federal prosecutors against Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara for stealing $16M from the Dodgers star.
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[@souaoki6131]

You treated him like a liar without any proof.

[@HondoHoss77]

You accept things at face value, congrats. I’ll *never* believe a press release from a wealthy person…..they have *every* reason to lie to us.

[@user-ig7nu5qn7k]

@@HondoHoss77 OK. If you can't stand the fact that he is innocent, then all you have to do is prove the federal investigators all wrong. Plain and simple.

[@tgoya]

Rich, what you need to do is not only analyze page 37, but before that, you need to "apologize". This is about your character.

[@pretzelhunt]

what did he say?

[@cathyl6620]

Still no reflection on his own mistakes. Instead he tells Ohtani to learn English and check his accounts. Shameful!

[@user-ll9qk2el4d]

So, what you're saying Rich is that Ohtani's representatives got duped by Ippei just like you got duped by what he said to ESPN? How is that possible when you speak fluent English? Well, I know... you assumed that it must be true since he was Ohtani's interpreter and best friend. Again, there's nothing wrong with being sketpical. We all should reserve the possibility of both outcomes. The problem is that you basically said Ohtani must be lying... and your crew laughed with you about it. Anyone can be "fair" after the facts have come out. It's a little late, Rich. You can stop your fake outrage and non-apology apology now.

[@qweuio]

This comment should at the top

[@pretzelhunt]

rich never said ohtani was guilty or lying, he said Ohtani would have to be lying if he was involved in gambling himself. listen to the facts.

[@SleazyDonny]

Rich says he was being “skeptical” but he believed Ippei’s lies and ran with his initial story.

[@paultuke5110]

What? NO, he interviewed Tisha Thompson who had been investigating. Many times Rich said he wants to believe Ohtani, but some of the details are incomprehensible. Keep in mind, Ippei was OHTANI's hand-picked translator and friend for years. Rich's show is a discussion show and discussed skeptically about what was known at the time. I guess he could have talked for 2 minutes and then talked about the NBA? Get real.

[@SleazyDonny]

@@paultuke5110You could use some healthy skepticism of Rich Eisen instead of being his stan.

[@paultuke5110]

@@SleazyDonnyok Donny🙄

[@anubizz3]

@@paultuke5110 Did Rich team translate what Othani say themself rather than rely on other? no instead his Team say Othani is a liar. if you want to worship Rich then its up to you.

[@paultuke5110]

@@anubizz3 Worship? No. I have critical thinking skills. Rich's show is about trying to find out facts and expressing opinions based on what is known. It's obvious English is not your first language. Have you actually listened to Rich or are you just writing trash based on what others told you. Your comments are way out of line - like someone who doesn't understand American talk shows - or English.

[@sakuralover6565]

This guy attacked Ohtani. Everyone must not forget it.

[@madmax6961]

The talking heads have been bashing and victim blaming Ohtani for the past 3 weeks. The investigation absolved Ohtani of any wrongdoing and now all these pundits who were sure Ohtani was the next Pete Rose are eating crow. If you had been watching Shohei the past 6 years when he arrived to play in the MLB, it was very apparent that he`s a nice guy, respectable, and focused on being the best at the sport of baseball. It would be extremely inconsistent to his character to be a degenerate gambler/liar. He deferred his 700 million contract with the Dodgers. He`s only shown class on the field. It`s just too bad people want to manufacture dirt on the guy.

[@Tank4Life]

There's been no trial. He's not absolved yet.

[@rontake2330]

@@Tank4Life and there never will be against Ohtani. The trial against Ippei, if it actually went, would only be about the charges against him. But Ippei is working on a plea deal, so that won’t even happen. This issue is now dead.

[@user-ut9ui5us3v]

"The investigation absolved Ohtani of any wrongdoing" That's impossible. All this says is that there was enough evidence to charge Ippei for theft. Whatever "wink, wink" there was between him and Ohtani we will never know.

[@greenparkokada]

Hey Rich, Ohtani said clearly he did not do anything wrong and he did not know any of bank wire.　I believed him but you didn't.

[@jmrboosties0]

"my personal hero as of the date the dodgers signed him says he was innocent so i automatically believe him"

[@akolline]

You suggested that Ohtani learn English, but that's discriminatory and utterly unacceptable. Ohtani is the hardest-working two-way player in MLB. Have you ever lived in a country with a different culture and language, trying to open a bank account? Try it. And of course, I advise you not to trust interpreters either! Also, you claim that in America, Americans never fall victim to scams. It's only foreigners who can't speak English. I see!

[@pretzelhunt]

it's not discriminatory.

[@demi7733]

Just apologize for making your assumptions and broadcasting it online! You have a platform and it is in you to be responsible of what you say and broadcast ! You owe ohtani an apology !

[@angelolagrutta4679]

No he doesn’t

[@pretzelhunt]

what did rich say?

[@upton1524]

Rich, I think you owe Shohei an apology. You can honestly admit that you were biased and win back your fans.

[@9123hsy]

Even my son(5yo) can apologize

[@pretzelhunt]

what should rich apologize for?

[@temahoney]

I was wrong. Sorry Shohei, you were a victim, and I’m a dumbass.

[@nightstalker2929]

Rich, why cant you just say sorry. At this point, you're digging deeper and deeper, your own grave

[@saihiro5954]

All the Japanese who knew Ohtani since he was in high school knew he was not the kind of person to engage in illegal gambling.

[@chillin7453]

Eisen still doesn’t get it Why did the the story change? Because desperate people lie. Sorry Rich, your questions were not fair because you automatically put the suspicions on Ohtani from the beginning

[@56a326n]

Exactly!

[@laconfidential8504]

Something that I have learned about people who suffer from a crippling addiction, whether it be alcohol, drugs, or gambling, is that there is no rationale for their behavior.

[@JJ-zr6fu]

Ohtani who could lose the largest baseball contract ever and be banned from the mlb doesnt have an incentive to lie?

[@johnchedsey1306]

Nah, I think a lot of people fail media literacy.

[@rubaiyat300]

If you have evidence of betting on baseball you should let the Feds know because it’s been stated there weren’t any.

[@user-pi2lq]

For real, most of the media owe Othani an apology.

[@pretzelhunt]

Why dont you write it for them, itll get all that hurt out 🤣🤣🤣

[@moguramimi1541]

@@pretzelhuntgot cha, ohtani hater~

[@pretzelhunt]

@@moguramimi1541 I do not hate Ohtani at all: he's amazing. NOTHING HAPPENED TO HIM. HE IS MORE AFFECTED PERSONALLY THAN HE EVER COULD BE PROFESSIONALLYTTHAT YOU FOOLS-- CHILDISH, CHILDISH FOOLS EXPECT HIM TO START AWAITING 'SORRY OHTANI' TEXTS AND TWEETS FOR. you dont focus as much on your job, however high-paying it may be, when a confidant and advisor effs you over for 16M of a foreign currency you were never that focused on to being with. Ya'll are pissed for the wrong reason at totally the wrong dude with the foreign-sounding name (Richard Gezunt Eisen) instead of the right one (Ippei Mizuhara) for the right reasons.

[@SK-dn9nk]

@@pretzelhunt The Rich Eisen believer was upset that Rich Eisen admitted his mistakes. 🤣🤣🤣

[@pretzelhunt]

@@SK-dn9nk which mistake?

[@kochobashi]

What have you learned from your blunder, Rich? Ohtani would have learned from this that he had to do a lot more than just play baseball. But Ohtani will remain unchanged, incredibly pure, and will choose to trust rather than doubt people. You're justifying yourself by saying you're just skeptical, and you're a terrible human being who tells Ohtani to learn English and use a two-factor authentication app. But, If the next time you see Ohtani, he will be as sincere to you as always. That's his humanity. He is on a completely different level than you.

[@paultuke5110]

😜😜😜😜

[@mirikaku5811]

Looks like many conspiracy theorists, or sceptics all can’t read the 37 page report in English, while saying Ohtani is stupid for not learning to read English.

[@kochobashi]

@@paultuke5110 👨🏻‍🦳💩🤪

[@mao5787]

I completely agree.

[@user-dt6fh3hu9w]

Shohei's words have been proven to be the case. Then what did you say? Use two-factor authentication? Learn English? You should be ashamed of yourself.

[@mirikaku5811]

Does Eisen know all foreign players in Japan dosent speak Japanese even after a decade. Still not all of them will be defrauded. John Elway, Kareem AJ, Robert DeNiro Elton John ALL CAN SPEAK ENGLISH and still got defrauded by partners, agents or close confidants and didn’t notice it of amount much bigger than Ohtani..happens to businessmen too. It’s call Banking Fraud and have nothing to do with being stupid or cannot speak English!!

[@4syms4syms33]

Great point!

[@mp0wa]

Same with Tim Duncan, he lost over $20 million due to a former financial adviser

[@mao5787]

Good point. Players like Alex Ramirez, Tuffy Rohdes lived in Japan for more than 10 years (Ramirez married with Japanese woman and became Japanese recently) and can speak and understand Japanese, but not fluent. Just like Ohtani. They always use inerpreter on interviews just like Ichiro and Ohtani did.

[@Dbo_Sports]

The main reason that he was defrauded, was because of his lack of ability to speak English fluently, he had another man handle EVERY ONE of his affairs. He needs to be fluent. It’s about time. And yes all of those foreign players in Japan would be targets as well, it just hasn’t happened yet. Why wait to become a target? Do the work and learn the language. Don’t absolve Shohei of doing the work. While he’s outside walking his dog, he should be inside with his English teacher learning the language or being put in positions where he can immerse himself. In World Football (soccer) the first things those soccer players learn when they get to Europe is the language of the league their playing in… no excuses.

[@user-tx1lb9vx6z]

@@Dbo_Sports 言語を学んでいようと信頼する相手に騙されるのは彼だけではないでしょう。 Elvis Presleyは誰に殺されましたか？ 誰にも逃げれない闇に狙われたのです。 隙を見せなくても逃げられないものでしょう。 それくらい難しいのでは？

[@BobbyHo2022]

Those who keep saying Ohtani is a gambler are either hidden racists or dodger haters.

[@shuichiroyasuda4072]

Even though he is innocent, Otani endured the harsh criticism from the media and the public who were fueled by it, and continued to produce results in the game. If you are a truly sincere person, Rich, you should apologize to Otani and those who believed in him for spreading doubts about Otani through the media before telling excuse.

[@rbu2136]

Rich desperate that Otani was guilty. “I’m not saying he’s guilty, but pant pant pant it sure does look like he is pant pant pant please God let him be guilty to I can say I knew it first!”

[@pikXpixelart]

I would also prefer an apology, but all of the contents Rich reviewed in this segment were passionately exonerating Shohei of any guilt and placing the blame solely on Mizuhara. Isn't that worth something still?

[@shuichiroyasuda4072]

Why is it that the more fundamental issue is not being reported more as to the responsibility of the Angels, who were Ippei's employers and had supervisory responsibility, for failing to manage Ippei's actions at the time he engaged in illegal gambling and fraudulent transfers? Why don't those who doubted Otani try to criticize more the illegal bookmakers for their role in escalating the involvement of someone who may have had a ill of gambling addiction in illegal gambling?

[@naxos41]

Rich Eisen aside, it has become clear to me that there are people who like to see Ohtani fall from grace. I can see lots of them in comment columns at Kay’s channel, for example. I wonder what motivates them to hate Ohtani; cynicism, jealousy, racism, or just being a New Yorker.

[@pretzelhunt]

probably better to ask them, since it's not relevant here.

[@SK-dn9nk]

@@pretzelhunt The Rich Eisen believer was upset that Rich Eisen admitted his mistakes. 🤣🤣🤣

[@enshk79]

It’s simpler than you think. It’s just human nature. Every famous person has irrational haters that froth at the mouth at the idea of their downfall.

[@armaco88]

I’m a fan of yours Rich. Stop making excuses, just apologize to Shohei for being skeptical, period. You and your show is starting to look bad.

[@pretzelhunt]

he was speaking in a hypothetical, this isnt the court of law.

[@joeyfriends9081]

You just believed ESPN without interviewing OHTANI. YOU MADE A MISTAKE.

[@pretzelhunt]

Ohtani's interpreter for interviews was INDISPOSED ATM. you thickheaded impatient masses only complain.

[@joeyfriends9081]

@@pretzelhunt really???

[@kami_1789]

​@@pretzelhuntwtf are you talking about?

[@pretzelhunt]

@@joeyfriends9081 you really expected an interview over this when Shohei's main connection to this country and most trusted advisor just was caught manipulating the highest paid Athlete in the N. American history? and you want Rich to do a Barbara Walters "did you tell the dodgers Ippei mightve been gambling?" "how did that betrayal feel, Shohei?" nonsense... that's all those "interviews" are, Joey. and the fact the guy needed an interpreter is partial why he's in a mess like this, no matter how innocent he is. Rich was never after taking down Shohei-- Rich was after the truth (lower case t).

[@SK-dn9nk]

@@pretzelhunt The Rich Eisen believer was upset that Rich Eisen admitted his mistakes. 🤣🤣🤣

[@amanomana]

Ippei not only stole the money Shohei earned through his hard work at the Angels, but he also broke Shohei's heart and destroyed his reputation, which is a serious crime.

[@comfortablynumb4491]

boo hoo. He will have to learn to live on $200 million, poor guy. He does however have his $67 million yearly in endorsements, so that will help.

[@user-ut9ui5us3v]

Are you a spokesperson for Shohei?

[@Kfabiano10]

By that logic, my ex-wife should be in prison.

[@no_one00152]

As a journalist, you should always be skeptical and ask questions. However, if you had paid attention to the details, you would have realized that Ohtani's story never changed and made the most sense. You made the same mistake that Ohtani's agent and financial advisors made in that you assumed Mizuhara was speaking for Ohtani when you never heard from Ohtani directly himself. The fact that the agent never consulted Ohtani's lawyers before the ESPN interview and allowed Mizuhara to give a 90 minute interview without an attorney present or give an interview at all should have also tipped you off to the incompetency of Ohtani's staff. Ohtani being chummy with Mizuhara after the interview and before the team meeting, where he first learned of what was going on, also should have given you pause. Why would he be acting so friendly with Mizuhara after learning that Mizuhara's gambling habit was attracting negative attention from the press and involved in a bookie scandal being investigated by the feds and IRS? Finally, why wouldn't you be suspicious of the words of an admitted gambling addict? Sadly, instead of just giving an honest apology and admitting your error, you tell the victim to learn English and change their passwords. Classy.

[@jonathansdlam]

This 1000%.

[@pretzelhunt]

What apology? Rich didnt accuse Ohtani anyway why are you so butthurt?

[@MLJpn]

Your opinions as a talk show host are not above the fed and the law. Your doubt on Ohtani was cast as a false accusation in the past month. As someone with a large online presence and influential multimedia platform, you have a responsibility to stick to the facts and be patient with the process. Your non-apologetic and self-centered response in this video was disappointing.

[@Tetete410]

Who do you hate the most among these three? 1. Otani believed a person. 2. Mizuhara stole money from his friend. 3. A bald man who doesn't apologize.

[@mariabernal2891]

So espn airs the story without ever asking ohtani directly over this matter , and rich eisen basically having a guilty until proven innocent Attitude none of the above Is true journalism

[@JJ-zr6fu]

Ohtani didn’t talk to the media his translator does

[@danielrodriguez148]

Nope just apologize

[@user-dt6fh3hu9w]

FBI showed us any detailed evidence for Shohei's innocent. Rich, show us any evidence for what you said. Take responsibility for your words. It's your turn.

[@user-dt6fh3hu9w]

Do you know the principle of presumption of innocence as a journalist ?

[@naxos41]

Rich Eisen, it is natural to ask “how this was possible”. But when you couldn’t come up with the explanation, you jumped into talking about a possible Ohtani involvement, with no evidence. That approach is contrasting to that of, say, Ken Rosenthal, who probably has seen as many if not more cases as you, McGwire’s included. Rosenthal’s approach was basically wait and see but leaning toward trusting Ohtani partly because of the (unusual) strong legal position that he had taken. Moreover, Rosenthal noticed how unflappable Ohtani acted under the baseless cloud of suspicion you and your ilks threw to him. Rosenthal speculated perhaps Ohtani had nothing to worry about knowing he had done nothing wrong. That’s how this one turned out.

[@jack90054]

Rosenthal's quote was on point: "Obliviousness, while not the most appealing of traits, also is not a crime or grounds for suspension." Ohtani was too naive and trusted his "best friend" with too much power/money. That's really all this story is. Isn't the first pro athlete to do that, def won't be the last either.

[@naxos41]

When Tisha Thompson interviewed Mizuhara for the first time, she asked him if Ohtani made any bets. To that, Mizuhara vehemently denied it and then elaborated (I am paraphrasing here) “Shohei hates gambling. When he sees teammates gambling in locker room, he says he doesn’t understand why they do that.” and then added as Ohtani’s quote “gambling ruins life”. Retrospectively, Mizuhara was talking about himself.

[@tonyswe9463]

Thank you for the information

[@saihiro5954]

Even Jeff Passan, the reporter who misjudged Ohtani when he first came to the U.S., apologized and said, "I'm sorry. I was wrong," he apologized in an article, but I don't think that a flip-flop of that magnitude is going to cut it after publishing an article denigrating someone's character and making him out to be a criminal. that's American culture?

[@naxos41]

Ohtani has been quoted multiple times that he doesn’t care about money. If he had waited for two more years before coming to the U.S., he would have received Yamamoto type of money before even having a single AB or pitch in the MLB. All reports indicate Ohtani is singularly motivated to become the best baseball player who ever lived. Another side of this story is that Ohtani not only trusted Mizuhara but also relied on his service for day-to-day operations in the U.S. at least initially. The bank account that Mizuhara stole from is actually the one that he helped Ohtani open to receive his salary from Angels. Ohtani has known Mizuhara since 2013 when Ohtani was 18, and Mizuhara became his de facto manager in 2018 when Ohtani asked him to come to the U.S. with him to be his translator. When Ohtani won the AL ROY that year, Ohtani mentioned Mizuhara as someone he owed his gratitude most. Even for Ohtani, losing $16M must hurt, but the sense of betrayal probably hurts more.

[@e.m8817]

Agree 💯

[@tonyswe9463]

Agree. Let’s stand by Ohtani during rough time. 💪

[@dylanjackson4999]

You don't have to care about money to be responsible for knowing where it's going. What if that guy was running a trafficking business or funding terrorism? Ohtani needs to learn from this and become more aware of what's going on around him

[@viejocirculo5734]

You are that type of person who would blame rape victims not wearing enough clothes

[@Leo4l]

may i ask why if he waited 2 years ? i’m new to baseball

[@plmp62d]

learn how to apologize

[@coma144]

Eisen, didn't ohtani show you grace and was nice to you and your son, taking pics with you both? You judged too quickly. It's.not a good look

[@honganshaw3419]

Eisen is an ungrateful rat

[@honganshaw3419]

Eisen is an ungrateful rat

[@user-iq3gh1ij6t]

人を疑うのは自由だけど、それをメディアに乗っけて発信するな 自分の影響力を考えろよ

[@peterjacoby8019]

tell Ohtani to hire more than 1 translator. no way an american bank gets a hundred million dollar client and didn't offer to hire 1 specially for him. could have stopped ippei's crime before it could happen. Ohtani trusted the wrong guy, thats not Rich's fault. hahahaha

[@jpac_]

Eisen just can't grasp the fact that Ippei was lying in the interivew w/ espn.

[@cathyl6620]

Because that doesn’t fit his narrative about Ohtani. He wanted to destroy Ohtani.

[@user-on9lx5fk1z]

Apologize to Ohtani Apologize to Ohtani Apologize to Ohtani

[@danielrodriguez148]

1000%

[@pretzelhunt]

You first. Write it in a letter and then dont send it. Youll feel more calm and collected instead of triggered asf.. 🤣🤣🤣

[@SK-dn9nk]

@@pretzelhunt The Rich Eisen believer was upset that Rich Eisen admitted his mistakes. 🤣🤣🤣

[@whimsicalwizardman409]

Rich I think people aren’t happy because it ^looks like^ to some people you’re treating ohtani guilty till proven innocent.

[@banuna1]

he would be the kinda guy who would victim blame

[@dontoverdoseoncopium]

@@banuna1 what do you think of the criticism that ohtani should not have relied on just ippei for everything? Not mine btw.

[@banuna1]

@@dontoverdoseoncopium in hindsight its quite obvious Ohtani shouldn't have put so much trust in a guy that was your interpreter/friend/manager but look at where Othani grew up a star athlete in rural Japan a total different culture and values than major japanese cities or USA in general.

[@DB-ow9kf]

​ @39arigatou5za1machuuu I'm a Dodgers and Ohtani fan and that is completely valid. Ohtani did not look at his MLB payroll account for five whole years and that's just crazy to me. Hopefully he learned some hard lessons here.

[@edwardsmith3576]

I just was recently called for jury duty. One thing I learned was I had a bias. I tended to think guilty until proven innocent too. However the law wants us to see the defendant as innocent until proven guilty.

[@nikkimae2160]

Ohtani treated you with kindness. The least that you could do was to remain silent and waited for the result of the investigation, if you were skeptic. But no, you felt the need to voice your doubts fueling ohtani's haters

[@Great1Duane]

Even after Ohtani has been exonerated they’re still skeptical 😂

[@Zara75648]

Pathetic excuses. Being skeptical is different from throwing someone in the mud.

[@pretzelhunt]

What mud? baseball infields are sand or gravel, they try not to be muddy with the tarps and things

[@MrWrestling2]

Agree. Pathetic excuses. I love Rich but he was so wrong and doesn't want to do anything but justify his take. The worst, I'd prefer sticking with thinking his was guilty.

[@SK-dn9nk]

@@pretzelhunt The Rich Eisen believer was upset that Rich Eisen admitted his mistakes. 🤣🤣🤣

[@Bolttoast]

Typical media response… I will not apologize, I’m just doing my job!

[@harumih.3727]

Please apologize Ohtani for doubting him.

[@Christopher-on8zs]

You should have waited for the full story before irresponsibly speculating and essentially calling an innocent man a liar and tarnishing his reputation. That responsibility is greater for you given your microphone. I don’t think you are a bad person, but you need to use this as a learning experience.

[@anubizz3]

NAh he still going at it even after he knew the full story.

[@pretzelhunt]

doubting someone is not the same as calling someone a liar and "tarnishing"?. your panties are twisted and tarnished, not Shohei's reputation. 😆😆😆😆

[@SK-dn9nk]

@@pretzelhunt The Rich Eisen believer was upset that Rich Eisen admitted his mistakes. 🤣🤣🤣

[@andypham4216]

Victim blaming is pretty terrible. I honestly expected better from Rich.

[@SP-ve1im]

you have to apologize cos you are not entitled to any of the evidence as he did not do any harm to you and no one asked you to do the investigation. Yet you literally threw this man under the bus for weeks with no clear cut fact but speculation and can't even admit that you were dead wrong with concrete evidence on hand.

[@mnplumberman]

As many people pointed out, it wasn't people asking questions that was the problem. We all had questions, but It was the speculating on with a major slant towards believing he was guilty of something. You only speculated on the ways Ohtani may have been guilty, not at all about how he could have been innocent.

[@xndr3]

Well, yes, because there were many holes throughout the story. Any time there are holes in a story making someone out to be innocent, people are going to question whether they are truly innocent. That’s just how it works.

[@BootsandUtes]

C'mon now, Rich. You studied journalism. I respect you. Pseudo-skepticism is not the same thing as scientific skepticism or critical thinking. You know that. The fact you gave more credence to Ippei -- who has had a history of being a liar -- over Ohtani's word is the problem. You ran with Ippei's interview on ESPN as if it was a hole in Ohtani's story rather than it being a hole in Ippei's story. By doing this, you made Ohtani become a defendant in the public court rather than the victim, which is rather insane. This is pseudo-skepticism. A true scientific skeptic would have said, "I don't know what's true based on what we have. Let's wait for more evidence." But, I digress. Anyways, let's strive to clean up sports media and make it ethical and factual, rather than sensational. I still want to believe you are one of the good ones.

[@mocochan]

This guy never believed Ohtani is innocent. Most Japanese people are like, ‘I told you so. Shohei never gambles!!’ The story was changed because the first story came from Ippei NOT from Sho. Are these guys blind or deaf?

[@DynamicMoment-dl2xx]

Most Japanese believed that Otani was innocent and not involved in gambling. On the other hand, most US people suspected that Otani was primarily involved in gambling. This difference is surprising.

[@danielrodriguez148]

The worse that you did day one… on your platform like some others who are lucky enough to have a platforms such as yours… was to poke holes into the character of a PERSON who happens to be a mega star baseball player!! Without knowing ALL facts (because an investigation takes TIME)!!!! Now you’re ONLY trying to ironically clean up your name or yourself PERIOD! This s*** doesn’t feel good right?! You of all people (considering you keep talking about your encounter/conversation with Mark McGuire) should have waited as long as it took (days, weeks, months if necessary) till all the facts were out! But you didn’t from start to almost finish. Own it!! The man is a decent person, but platform personalities like you didn’t. This is your attempt to now do your own PR… to late Rich… you and others should be ashamed but doesn’t sound like it. And the man was gracious enough to take a picture with you and your son. SHAMEFUL ABUSE OF A USE TO BE RESPECTFUL TALK SHOW HOST!!

[@torchup]

I was as cynical as anyone else and now find it wonderfully refreshing that Ohtani is not only a sports phenom but a remarkably naive victim of his enjoyable and gracious personality that never appears to be fake and doesn't appear to have a dark side at all. I'm thrilled he is absolved of all the doubts and the easily reasonable questions most everyone has had.

[@tonyswe9463]

Same.

[@volusiasorange]

At first I said I hope he's innocent. Then I said I hope he gets away with it. Now I'm back to thinking he might actually be innocent

[@gregbrown6104]

Remember: trust first, ask questions later...maybe. But prob not. Always the playbook for someone who has literally no idea you exist and share Earth with them.

[@tokihikaru-ve7wb]

Don't lie, you guys turn your back on me so quickly I'm sick of it

[@BC-fu3tg]

@@volusiasorangeyou don’t have to THINK he’s innocent. It’s been proven to be the case

[@okinawatamitam288]

今後、大谷翔平さんの活躍をあなたは、話してはいけない 翔平サンを語る資格があなたにはない

[@TrafficAccident-zz5bv]

リッチさん、あなたのやるべきことは37ページの分析だけではなくその前に「謝ること」です。これはあなたの人格に関することです。

[@micorazon235]

完全同意。

[@janep3312]

謝るわけないですよ。自分が悪いなんて微塵も思ってないし、英語話せない大谷のせいとしか思ってないですよ。 何なら、まだ裏があるとか思ってるかもしれないくらいだし。 SNSとかいまだにそういうアメリカ人だらけですし。 ファンたちがうるさいから一応対応策とったんじゃないかなって思ってます。

[@nostalgia_news]

Just apologize and stop making excuses.

[@haruhidaso]

I think the problem is suspecting someone of major accusations without any proof. It’s like if someone’s parents got killed and you are like “it could have been the daughter, she found the body first and there’s no evidence to the contrary yet”, yes it’s plausible that the daughter might have been the murderer, but you don’t throw that accusation around until some evidence points towards in that direction. There was literally no evidence that points toward Ohtani being the gambler except “how does he not notice it?”

[@erikdayne5429]

Yeah except this isn’t a court of law this is the court of public opinion. If a story doesn’t make sense it’s perfectly reasonable to say this doesn’t make sense.

[@covert_ops_47]

All I've learned from this is if I want to commit any fraud at all I just need to not speak the language of the place I work and rely on my interpreter to always take the fall. "I had no idea!"

[@kavellifrancois1794]

@@erikdayne5429 except for the fact that the court of public opinion hurts you more than getting cleared helps you. It’s ok to be skeptical…that’s fine but don’t act like it’s nothing.

[@seanallen3948]

@@covert_ops_47except the interpreter did not “take the fall” - he was/is the bad guy.

[@proteuswest1084]

I think the problem with your argument is that you're suggesting that exercising your critical thinking skills and asking questions is the same as making a hard and fast accusation. It's not. Rich never accused Shohei of anything. He was asking about how Ippei could steal that much money without Shohei knowing. Now we have a report about it from trusted sources and Rich has fully said that he believes Shohei was an innocent victim. The way he's approached the entire situation is the way that we all should approach it. We shouldn't make judgments either way until we know facts, and we should ask the important questions. Once we get facts that are verified, we should adjust our views and opinions based on that new information. Rich did that, but people like you who believed Shohei because he's a good baseball player and you think that seeing him on TV means you know him as a good person aren't satisfied unless people make the same assumptions. How do you not realize that automatically believing someone is nearly as bad as automatically assuming their guilt? Just because the facts eventually agree with your initial position doesn't mean that you were right to make assumptions in the first place; it just means you got lucky.

[@stdocyuze9000]

日本から； You will never apologize for asking evidence? What evidence? You mean to say the evidence that substantiates his innocence? That's so strange. Do you understand "presumption of innocence"? Usually you should watch over the progress like this case assuming that he is innocent until you get evidence that substantiates his guilt if you live in the society that has "presumption of innocence" as constitutional important principle. All the more if you are concerned in media that owe social responsibility for their fairness, objectivity. What is needed is not evidence to prove someone's innocence, but evidence to substantiate someone's guilt. Nevertheless, you aroused Ohtani's suspicion based on a mere conjecture or confessions of a particular person that never deserve evidence to substantiate Ohtani's guilt. So you are not qualified to be a journalist. You also fail as a human being if you never apologize to Ohtani for spreading his suspicion without unequivocal evidence to substantiate his guilt. Never dodge!

[@user-dt6fh3hu9w]

I agree.

[@arsmor1end1]

Rich, I'm admittedly a "Shohei-stan." Skepticism is always warranted. Two problems with your coverage: 1) You consistently misrepresented parts of the original reports from Thompson (she made it clear there was no "Ohtani's Team;" it was Dodgers' PR staff scrambling, and basing their own actions on Mizuhara's words; Mizuhara lied to Ohtani about the forthcoming media reports); 2) I love your work, man, but "Learn English" is one of the most ignorant (yet common) things monolingual speakers tell OTHERS to do. You likely have an agent to deal with complex business matters, a lawyer to advise you on any legal matters, accountants who deal with your financial needs, etc. Yet, why? You're a native English speaker, right? Why do you need these professionals' help? Because the various rules and regulations are "foreign" to you. Now, as an adult, go to another country...say, Japan...and "Learn Japanese" deeply enough that you can function in all of the above-mentioned areas. Lastly, imagine you have employed a Japanese-English bilingual speaker you have known and trusted for a decade, and has been trusted by all other professionals around you that know this person. But, still, "Learn Japanese," man. C'mon. Piece of cake, right? In my case, that's what's been disappointing about your coverage.

[@4syms4syms33]

Good points!

[@tomriddle8699]

I blame the other 2 sycophants too. What's their job role? The affidavit came out while they were filming. I understand RE has to do his role so he won't have time to read. Why couldn't the other 2 read & summarize for him? If RE wants to pay me to talk sports with him then I'm avail lol

[@jasonbobwwww]

second point is spot on. 9/10 media I watch on youtube doesn't ackowledge this enough. English is my second language, so I know just how difficult it is to actually understand stuff in specialised field like banking/taxes etc... I do respect that Rich actually apologised and read the whole IRS-CI document; tons of other media heads still just absorb twitter exerpts and still asking questions that the report has thoroughly cleared up with concrete evidences. Highly encourage anyone to read the 37-page document, seriously, it answers 99% of the questions the internet was wondering in past weeks.

[@imbatmanbuturnot]

APOLOGIZE TO OHTANI

[@paultuke5110]

For asking questions? You Ohtani Crisis Trolls are annoying.

[@anubizz3]

@@paultuke5110 For speculating.

[@trevorcarey3997]

The IRS, the Homeland Security and the FBI have all cleared Ohtani, and have evidence with text messages and recordings of Ippei on bank calls. Ippei also changed Ohtani's account to his name so he woukd not get bank statements and notices. We all knew Ohtani was innocent and the real victim except the trolls and haters, Sad

[@Woozlewuzzleable]

This whole story made me like Ohtani even more which I didn't think was possible.

[@dylee2846]

Thank you for being a fan of Ohtani.

[@toshikopage7112]

Ohtani is it.!!!

[@tonyswe9463]

Same. I feel bad for Ohtani. Let’s support him through this rough time. 💪

[@mp0wa]

Now that the truth is revealed, Ohtani is bound to garner even more fan admiration and love. Beyond his baseball prowess, people are naturally drawn to superstars who exhibit character and uphold values.

[@tonyswe9463]

@@mp0wa , I don’t think so. Ohtani used to have a super clean image. Now, some people have questions marks about Shohei Ohtani. I wish Ohtani best of luck.

[@naxos41]

Did Rich Eisen even understand, by constantly comparing McGwire to Ohtani, he was spreading the presumption of guilt?

[@chavy-_-4690]

Ohtani wasn’t even 21 when he met Ippei. They don’t talk about this age gap. He was taken advantaged of

[@jackiea1461]

Ohtani was 18 when he first met him

[@RunForPeace-hk1cu]

Asking questions that assume Ohtani is guilty is sad and pathetic, especially given his track record. Some people just can't apologize even when they know they are wrong.

[@Katsutoyo98]

i have no problem with Rich being skeptical. However, I think he should've said that "we should reserve our judgement before the Feds and MLB's investigations are over with."

[@greghouse1234]

Everyone wants sports pundits to 'wait for all the facts' when it comes to someone thst they like, but you will gobble up any speculation or discussion about someone you aren't a fan of. The Rich Eisen show is not a courtroom, and discussing the insanity of a situation while expressing incredulity that someone wouldn't notice that much money moving around (among other oddities) is exactly what rich would do in any other situation. He's currently taking the same tone with the nba player accused of point shaving, but I don't see the same level of vitriol towards him there? People acting like they know the guy personally and are sure he would never do anything wrong are just as stupid as the people who say hes the mastermind and should be banned. Rich is neither.

[@6thwilbury2331]

Wait... did he not say something like that? I thought he did, but my memory might be conflating him with Dan Patrick, Chris Rose and others I've heard report this a few weeks back. Most people I listen to or watch had a "it doesn't look good but I'll guess we'll find out" stance.

[@007ndc]

He's just another media talking head hack looking for a story where there is none

[@bmgoldfield1]

Most of what Rich had to say was convincing. I have to admit that I have not been happy with everything he has said in the past on this subject, but I think his defense was fair, except for the last word. Study English." That one phrase still shows that Rich is not giving Ohtani the respect he deserves. Ohtani is learning English. Some people say he should be able to speak fluently after six years in the U.S., but those people don't even try to understand his situation. They don't understand how seriously he takes his contract, how dedicated he is to baseball every day in order to make his contract worth it. I don't think Rich has that argument for the tragedy that has happened to Otani this time.

[@anubizz3]

@@bmgoldfield1 I wonder if Rich speak Japanese?

[@rismari9545]

So Where is the apology ?

[@saosao6488]

大谷さんに対してグレーな発言をした事を、同じ番組でまずはきちんと謝るべきです。自分発言に責任を持てないのであればその仕事は向いてない！！

[@dfanLA2]

When Eisen could not imagine how Ohtani was NOT involved, his mind was just too pure to imagine the length Ippei would go to cover his track for so long.

[@TheJohnharple]

This guy must have been having a panic attack when he saw that ohtani had deferred basically all of his salary

[@trevorcarey3997]

Notice Eisen instead of apologizing still trying to push the conspiracy theory because the guy is filled with shame.

[@MrInsurance8]

funny you say that because thats when it started to look like he was losing sleep

[@ebok33643]

He would have first though that he hit the real jackpot 😅

[@josedelrancho5766]

Not really. Ohtani easily made over $300M when with the Angels just on his sponsorship"s alone.

[@TheJohnharple]

@josedelrancho5766 you didn't hear the part where it talks about the account only being for his mlb paycheck not his other endorsements. This means it was a much, much, much smaller piece of the pie

[@flickdog]

Rich believed McGuire but didn’t believe Ohtani. Poor judgement proven, he should stop jumping to conclusions! He made it sound like Ohtani’s innocence was impossible or unlikely.

[@user-yf8sx2tl8p]

Someone please tell me. Did he apologize to Otani?

[@kaoriokaguchi9959]

Japanese here. No fan of Ohtani in Japan would doubt him. NOBODY. We all know that he would never ever do such a thing like gambling if that would take a chance to play baseball in MLB away from him. What he cares about is baseball, not money. Maybe people can't understand how naive he is but he does NOT care about money. He was too good to doubt Ippei, who was actually a great interpreter and appeared to be a great supporter of Shohei both in public and private.

[@moguramimi1541]

Why Rich cannot believe Ohtani is innocent? Because there’s only trash people surround him, that’s thy. Rich has never met a real good man like Ohtani

[@Indigoshino]

100%

[@chuckkuang91]

I mean Rich does live in Los Angeles

[@yats4001]

Ippei changed his story because he’s a pathological liar. He’s been lying since 2013 when he got a job as an interpreter for Ham Fighters of NPB where he met Shohei. There’s a saying in Japan ‘Liar today, Thief tomorrow.’ I wish Ham Fighters had run a check on Ippei then. Shohei trusted him with all his heart. Sad.

[@aaronscore]

The nature of this whole story had us all skeptical. But the problem with media members, Rich included, is the childish inability to wait out an ongoing investigation by the FBI and DOJ, which they know will provide answers, and to instead spew out pure conjecture for clicks, to make sure there's a catchy title for the YT channel. Yeah Rich, you're getting dragged now , but not compared to how you and others dragged Ohtani through all this

[@emersons6896]

And here we are clicking and dragging 😂

[@proteuswest1084]

They report on the stories of the day. That's why we come here. Stories develop over time, so there are points where multiple things are possible, where questions exist about the facts. Then, we get more facts, we get more evidence, and it becomes clear that one thing is true and another isn't. What is childish is when someone insists that something is true when they don't have all the facts, or they persist in their initial beliefs despite facts to the contrary. Rich didn't drag Ohtani at all. He asked the reasonable questions that a lot of people were having at the time, and he said repeatedly that he hoped Shohei wasn't involved in anything untoward. As soon as evidence cleared him, Rich read it on air and detailed it to show Shohei's innocence. If you really want to make Rich hurt, then don't comment. Don't watch. Comments help his numbers, so do views. But I think you're directing your general discontent at the media towards someone who actually did it right, and that's not just childish, it's also dangerous, because you're asking for a world where the media can't even try to get to the truth anymore because they're not allowed to ask questions? Welcome to Russia and North Korea.

[@aznnp77]

Most of the time the evidence isn't as clear as it is here.

[@MrWrestling2]

Well said sir!

[@eiko-tropicana]

Whatever, just apologize

[@TSFPK]

I didn’t doubt him, I knew he was 100% innocent, but I think it’s fair you wanted the hard evidence so you can make your decision if you’d believe him or not. What’s problematic is that those conspiracy theorists who are still trying to label him as a criminal after all the facts came out. They need to see a therapist.

[@hiskingdomreigns]

As it turns out, Rich Eisen is just another grubby tabloid journalist.

[@troy4682]

In hindsight, kind of wild that it wasn't considered more that someone with a legitimate gambling problem would just, lie

[@Woozlewuzzleable]

They're similar to drug addicts, they'll do anything to support their habit without thinking about the repercussions of their actions and how it will affect their friends and family.

[@CK-vp9bw]

Exactly!!!!!!! Why is everyone taking the criminals word when it adds to a conspiracy?!

[@barberciscobarberfranky6354]

That’s how terrible our minds are

[@BlakeWR81]

With how invested everyone who was meeting Ohtani was in his earnings, we just never figured they'd all be so stupid.

[@JJ-zr6fu]

That’s what people are doing. It looks like ohtani placed massive bets meaning he’s a degenerate gambler and now he’s lying to coverup. He’s already lied atleast once with the original statement

[@davidusc1196]

I always knew Ohtani was innocent.

[@tonyswe9463]

Right on

[@mo-pr5uf]

Same here. He is too wholesome for this crap.

[@itsgingervitis69]

I will let him know that David from KZbin never stopped believing in him.

[@mmacwebb7306]

From Japan, thank you 🙏

[@sinep4371]

Anyone with a brain could put the pieces we had together to figure that out.

[@MCHVIDEO]

Stop making this about you Rich

[@pzx0810]

Where is Tisha Thompson now???

[@ericjeller]

exactly, lets get a correction from her or at least the scoop chasing editors who ran that story implying something ontoward (in turn sparking rampant speculation) before the facts came out. espn brainworms 😂

[@Kjp90]

She’s too embarrassed to show her face

[@Skeet984]

She got her 15 minutes of fame. Why didn’t she provide any of this information? ESPN published the original article without facts.

[@Apache555]

It’s ok to be skeptical. But, it has to be both way. Apparently you were skeptical one way heavy.

[@suika197]

ｗhy can't you apologize. Have your opinions hurt him so far? You're an influential person, but you didn't tell the truth. 37-page,you still had doubts without reading this. Fans thought you understood ohtani’s humanity. We're disappointed because we love you. Your comment will be translated into Japanese and turned into a news article. I want you to know about the mandala chart he wrote when he was young. He's never the kind of person who would do anything bad.

[@user-dt6fh3hu9w]

Rich, I don't trust you as a journalist anymore.

[@JL-rd5gn]

there's more to it than just gambling. ippei also stole $325000 from the account to purchase collector baseball cards with the intent of selling them at a later time for profit. he was more than just a gambler with an addiction... he was a common thief

[@hiroshimurayama9604]

Mizutani told a story, Ohatani explained. And you believed the story Mizutani, just because your nature itself is rather closer to the one of Mizutani. Shohei is so genuine at heart, unlike you and me. But now you have the results of the Federal investigation, and if you still believe the story of Mizuhara and doubt the explanation of Shohei, you are now committing a crime of intentionally defaming Mr. Ohtani ! Note that it was not just Mr. Ohtani, but also his legal agent and financial advisers and bank staff were easily deceived by the interlocutor, Mizuhara, so it is not just Ohtani’s English deficiency problem, but the whole system of financial service security for non native English and yet premium clients is in question. If they employ even if for temporary basis, an interpreter on their own, Mizuhara’s wrong doing must have been unveiled much easily at an early date ! Must come the first be an apology, not the justification of your misjudgment. And if not, you have no quality to comment on athletes any more.

[@justmyopinion8395]

Anytime anyone wants to reach Ohtani in an official capacity it’s through Ippei. Whatever message Ippei passes along everyone assumes it’s coming from Ohtani. With that dynamic Ippei could have easily pulled this off. He was desperate and came up with the story that Ohtani was just covering his debt in hopes that when Ohtani finally hears about it, he would go along. Ippei knew this was a long shot but he was desperate. It’s not that hard to fathom.

[@cblang8115]

The least surprising thing to come out of 2024: Ohtani (who sent all his money to his parents when he was in the NBL and deferred almost his entire contract) indeed does not check his bank account

[@Shakazulu6.1]

lol you made me laugh. Good one

[@Nitiwire]

Lost respect for you rich. You were one of the good ones i thought.

[@lxbui]

I don’t get it! Why is the coverage of his innocence so much smaller than the coverage of his guilt? Stephen A Smith hasn’t said anything about it

[@gomama6748]

You look miserable making your mates back you up for your wrong assumption. Thought you were better than this.

[@user-dn8mw4uw7q]

Many Japanese viewers are disappointed at your previous comments, how you saw Ohtani san. He is far from being greedy, nasty, etc. Japanese fans say they will stop watching your show. Probably you cannot believe there is a man who don't care about money, but he is. He only cares about playing baseball and win the game. And he commits 100% to it.

[@proteuswest1084]

Then do that. You have commented on his video and you have given him your views. That is all that KZbin measures in terms of monetization, so if you think that telling someone you'll stop watching means anything, it doesn't until you actually do.

[@paultuke5110]

@@proteuswest1084 I don't think these Ohtani lovers are Rich's fans. They are part of Ohtani's Crisis teams. I noticed NONE of them reply to comments from Rich's fans.

[@donaldumunawa4787]

What Americans dont seem to understand about Ohtani is that he ONLY thinks about baseball. Nothing else matters, including money. This is why he is so great.

[@annunakian8054]

Stephen A immediately jumped to confidently insinuating Shohei was betting on baseball. Obviously, he lacks the intelligence to collect & analyze data in order to draw conclusions. So do his followers.

[@anubizz3]

He say Othani sign a cheque he dumber than you think.