Baseball star Shohei Ohtani said Monday that he never agreed to pay Ippei Mizuharas gambling debt and is beyond shocked at how his now-fired interpreter took advantage of him.

Ohtani, who spoke through the Los Angeles Dodgers performance operations manager, Will Ireton, at a news conference, said, Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has told lies.

In his 10-minute prepared statement, the athlete told reporters, I never bet on baseball or any other sports or never have asked somebody to do it on my behalf, and I have never gone through a bookmaker to bet on sports and was never asked to assist betting payment for anyone else.

Ohtani claimed he first learned of Mizuharas gambling after the Dodgers series in Seoul, South Korea, last Wednesday, when the interpreter addressed betting allegations with players and staff during a post-game team meeting.

According to Ohtani, Mizuhara told the Dodgers clubhouse, in English, that the two-time MVP had willingly and knowingly paid off his debts.