Weinstein and others also advised the two-way star from Japan to proceed cautiously, whether he is a target of investigators or not.

Ohtani's explanation of what happened directly contradicts a narrative Mizuhara had been pushing until very recently, which was that Ohtani had acted as a concerned friend and paid off the debts on Mizuhara's behalf. Mizuhara allegedly told that version once to ESPN and again to the entire Dodgers team during a recent meeting also attended by team officials and Ohtani.

Ohtani said Monday that he didn't understand what was being said at the meeting, but became suspicious, started questioning Mizuhara and his own representatives and discovered the interpreter had allegedly been stealing from him and lying about it.

Whatever the case, Ohtani should clear up any inconsistencies in his account and be crystal clear about the facts before he takes them from the press room into any formal conversations with investigators, legal experts said.

"What happened with Puig is a cautionary tale for everyone, whenever they are going to go and talk to law enforcement," Weinstein said.

Ohtani "should not be making any other statements to the public — to anybody, not even somebody he thinks is his friend," Weinstein said. "He should be sitting down with his lawyers and spending a lot of time with his lawyers and his accountants and his representatives going over his financial statements, what he knew, who had access to his accounts."

Keri Axel, one of Puig's current attorneys, said Puig's experience was indeed instructive for other players, especially those who — like Puig and Ohtani — speak little English and are used to relying on others.

"The Ohtani situation demonstrates that many athletes — particularly from other countries — rely heavily on advisers and intermediaries, and are disconnected with American culture and its legal system, while at the same time being exploited for easy headlines and their mistakes are put under a microscope," Axel said. "That's exactly what happened with Puig."

'I no said nothing, I not talking'

In March 2022, according to court records, Puig allegedly sent a recorded message to a friend via WhatsApp.

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