This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Gooood morning, Winners. Thanks so much for reading the Morning Win today. We appreciate you for giving us a bit of your time.
This Shohei Ohtani interpreter scandal just keeps getting worse by the day and, honestly, it’s all his fault. Ohtani and his team refuse to give us a plausible explanation for everything going on.
On Monday, Ohtani addressed the media for the first time since the Dodgers fired Ippei Mizuhara. He didn’t take any questions. Instead, he released a statement rehashing everything his team told us before. That doesn’t seem suspicious at all, right?
Here’s a quick summary: Ohtani says Mizuhara was approached by ESPN’s reporters and made a statement on his own accord about the $4.5 million in transfers to the bookmaker. Ohtani apparently didn’t know about his translator’s interview at all. He also says everything he said was a lie and that the money transferred in his name was stolen from him.
I’m sorry, man, but absolutely nobody believes this. We’ve all got questions. Or, really, I think we’ve all got the same question: If we’re to believe this, how on Earth did Mizuhara have this much access to Ohtani’s financials? Our Tyler Nettuno asks the question here:
“Further, if he did gain access to Ohtani’s accounts without his knowledge, how was he able to transfer millions of dollars to an individual who was already under federal investigation without flagging the attention of the bank’s risk management systems?”
That just seems impossible. And maybe there are perfectly reasonable answers to this. Personally, I found the first explanation of Ohtani simply helping a friend out to be plausible. Ohtani has a ton of money. He and Mizuhara were (maybe are still?) legitimately friends. If his buddy simply needed help here, I could see anyone in that position helping him.
But this? Nah, man. This ain’t it. Something fishy is going on here. Eventually, we’ll find out what it is — especially if legal action is being taken here.
In the meantime, though, people will fill this blank space with theories. Most of them will be about Ohtani having a gambling problem and him having his friend take the fall for it. That’s unfortunate. But that’s what happens when you give us a story that doesn’t make sense.
Jontay Porter might be done in the NBA
Speaking of gambling problems, Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter is being investigated by the NBA for betting irregularities in his stat lines, ESPN reports.
You probably don’t know this guy. He’s a fringe player and is also the brother of Denver’s Michael Porter Jr. He’s only appeared in 26 games so far this season.
Yet, here he is, at the center of a major NBA investigation. The league is investigating two games involving Porter: One against the Clippers on Jan. 26 and another against the Kings on March 20.
He mysteriously left both with ailments after playing a few minutes in both games, allowing his stats to hit the under. After multiple accounts reportedly attempted to bet $10,000 and $20,000 on Porter’s under in the Clippers game, red flags went up.
RELATED: Everything we know about the Jontay Porter investigation
Our Prince Grimes says if the NBA finds him guilty, he needs to be banned from the league ASAP:
The NBA can’t let that fly. If the investigation finds Porter was involved in some way, the punishment has to be heavy. He shouldn’t be allowed to play in the NBA ever again.
You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again, upholding the integrity of the game is the most important thing to sports leagues when it comes to betting. If players think they can get away with manipulating betting outcomes, what’s stopping the next bench-warmer (or referee) from trying something similar.
READ MORE: Jontay Porter should get a lifetime ban from the NBA if he’s guilty
The Sweetest 16
If you haven’t been tapped into the women’s NCAA tournament, you should lock in as soon as possible. We’re about to see a ton of great basketball over the next few days.
The game’s biggest stars made it to the Sweet 16. We’ll have some incredible matchups to watch.
The biggest storylines:
— The Freshman class: There are so many incredible freshmen who’ve carried their teams this far. Juju Watkins (USC), Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame), Madison Booker (Texas) and Mikaylah Williams (LSU) are the four I’m locked in on. They’re so fun to watch.
— Can LSU survive? Angel Reese and the Tigers will face their greatest test on the road to repeating yet with a Sweet 16 matchup against UCLA. Defending Lauren Betts down low is going to be a challenge.
— South Carolina’s dominance: Will South Carolina dominate Indiana the same way it did UNC and Presbyterian? I doubt it. Indiana’s defense is tough. But Dawn Staley’s team seems inevitable.
— Caitlin’s climb: Iowa has probably been the headliner of the tournament for obvious reasons. Everyone is either rooting for or against Caitlin Clark. The Hawkeyes almost faltered against West Virginia. Colorado isn’t going to be any easier of an opponent.
Lots of fun basketball, folks. Don’t miss out on this.
Quick hits: The NFL’s new kickoff rules explained … The Jalen Green dilemma … and more
— Christian D’Andrea has a breakdown of the NFL’s new complicated kickoff rules here.
— Here’s Bryan Kalbrosky with the latest Layup Lines on Jalen Green and the good problems he’s bringing to the Rockets’ table.
— Should the women’s NCAA tournament be played on more neutral courts? Fans seem to think so. Here’s Meg Hall with more.
— Robert Zeglinski is here with the latest NBA MVP ladder and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s case is rising.
— Is Geno Auriemma taking shots at Caitlin Clark? Charles Curtis lays out the case here.
— Speaking of Caitlin Clark, here’s Cory Woodroof with more on her classy goodbye to Iowa.
That’s all, folks! Thanks so much for reading. We appreciate you for taking the time. Let’s chat again tomorrow. Until then! Be well. Peace.
-Sykes ✌️