“Not a reach by any means” - Ex-manager Joe Maddon claims Shohei Ohtani ‘easily’ could have given Ippei Mizuhara financial access

Former manager Joe Maddon is the latest to weigh in on the Shohei Ohtani-Ippei Mizuhara controversy.

The interpreter was fired amid accusations of stealing funds for a gambling habit to the tune of $4.5 million. Maddon believes that it's not outrageous that the slugger would have given his friend access to the account, but he has a question of his own.

Maddon told The Athletic that it was "easily" conceivable that Ohtani would "rely" on Mizuhara to handle bills and other things:

"So that, to me, is not a reach by any means. The part I don't quite understand is the fact that, especially when you talk about those numbers, if they are accurate, that the agency would not have known about that."

So while Maddon believes that the Los Angeles Dodgers star could have given his interpreter and longtime friend access to his accounts, he's still not certain that someone shouldn't have noticed earlier.

Joe Maddon personally knows both of them. When Ohtani was with the Los Angeles Angels, and his interpreter was with him as well, Maddon was their manager for a while.

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Shohei Ohtani denies any knowledge of betting scandal

Shohei Ohtani denied all allegations

For a brief period, many believed that there was a chance that Shohei Ohtani was the one gambling and that Ippei Mizuhara took the fall for him. That's not what Ohtani has said, as he came out in firm defense of himself.

He said via ESPN:

"I never bet on baseball or any other sports or never have asked somebody to do that on my behalf. I have never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports. Up until a couple of days ago, I didn't know that this was happening."

He also accused Mizuhara publicly of stealing, saying that he was hurt that someone he considered a friend would steal from him and do so behind his back. Some questions remain, but it seems like the scandal has been resolved, and Ohtani is back to playing baseball.