Ohtani’s interpreter joins list of betting scandals in sports

Sports and gambling are once again in the spotlight in the wake of the Los Angeles Dodgers firing Ippei Mizuhara, the interpreter and close friend of newly acquired star player Shohei Ohtani.

The abrupt dismissal of Mizuhara, who is 39, came amid reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN regarding his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts that totaled well over $1 million.

Here is a glance at other betting scandals involving professional and college sports:

1920: Black Sox Scandal

A Chicago grand jury indicted eight members of the Chicago White Sox on charges of fixing the 1919 World Series, which became known as the “Black Sox Scandal.” White Sox owner Charles Comiskey immediately suspended the eight players, including “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, and they were banned permanently a year later by newly appointed baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis. Although a jury returned a notguilty verdict on all charges against the eight, their ban from baseball remains in place.

1951: Rupp’s Wildcats

Thirty-five active and former players were accused of fixing at least 86 games from 1947 to 1951. Among those implicated were four members of the Adolph Rupp-coached Kentucky Wildcats, accused of taking bribes from gamblers ahead of an NIT game against Loyola during the 1948-49 season. An NCAA investigation found several violations, which led to the cancellation of Kentucky’s 1952-53 season.

1981: Mobster convicted

Former Boston College basketball player Rick Kuhn and four others, including New York mobster Jimmy Burke, were convicted of conspiring to fix basketball games in the 1978-79 season.

1985: Green Wave flattened

Tulane suspended its basketball program in the wake of point-shaving and other allegations. The school resumed basketball for the 1989-90 season.

1989, Pete Rose: Granddaddy of them all?

Pete Rose agreed to a lifetime ban after an investigation for MLB by lawyer John Dowd found that Rose placed numerous bets on the Cincinnati Reds to win from 1985-87 while playing for and managing the team. Now 82, baseball’s all-time leader with 4,256 hits, remains ineligible for induction into Cooperstown, and he has had numerous requests for reinstatement denied.

1996: Henning’s B.C. players

Thirteen Boston College football players were suspended for gambling, including two players who bet against BC in a 45-17 loss to Syracuse. Coach Dan Henning, who informed school officials upon hearing allegations of players placing bets with bookies, resigned. No evidence of point-shaving was found.

2007: NHL coach iced

Current Vancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet was placed on two years probation after pleading guilty to conspiracy and promoting gambling while serving as an assistant coach with the Coyotes. He was reinstated by the NHL the following year. Also initially implicated in a gambling scheme titled “Operation Slapshot” involving a New Jersey-based ring were several players; Wayne Gretzky’s wife, Janet Jones; and Gretzky’s former agent and then-Coyotes GM Michael Barnett.

2008: Whistle blown

NBA referee Tim Donaghy pleaded guilty to wire fraud and transmitting betting information for taking thousands of dollars from a gambler for inside tips on games, including games he worked. He was sentenced by a federal judge to 15 months behind bars.

2022: Falcons’ Ridley

In the NFL, at least 15 players have been suspended by the league for gambling violations. The list dates to 1963, when two eventual hall of famers, Green Bay halfback Paul Hornung and Detroit defensive tackle Alex Karras, were suspended for the season for betting on league games. In 2022, the NFL suspended then-Atlanta receiver Calvin Ridley for the entire season for gambling on NFL games a year earlier while away from the Falcons addressing mental health concerns.

2023: Allegations on Phil

Last summer, Phil Mickelson, a sixtime winner of golf’s major tournaments, was alleged to have wagered more than $1 billion over the past three decades and wanted to place a $400,000 bet on the 2012 Ryder Cup while representing Team USA, according to a book written by renowned gambler Billy Walters. A month later, Mickelson wrote in a lengthy social media post that he has stopped gambling, and he acknowledged that his betting habits crossed the line from moderation to addiction. Mickelson denied ever betting on the Ryder Cup.

JUNG YEON-JE/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES/TNS The Dodgers were quick to fire Ippei Mizuhara (left), the interpreter for star player Shohei Ohtani, after reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN regarding Mizuhara’s alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts that totaled well over $1 million. It’s the latest in a long list of betting scandals that rocked sports.

AP 1978 Pete Rose received a lifetime ban from baseball and has never regained his eligibility for the Hall of Fame after he was caught betting on the Reds while playing for and managing the team.

CURTIS COMPTON/AJC 2021 Receiver Calvin Ridley, then with the Falcons, missed the 2022 season for gambling on NFL games a year earlier. He recently signed with the Titans.

COURTESY OF ORION PICTURES The story of the Black Sox Scandal, involving charges of fixing the 1919 World Series, was told in the 1988 movie “Eight Men Out.”

Tim Donaghy forfeited his career as an NBA referee.