Shohei Ohtani addressed the media and public for the first time on Monday since his lawyers claimed he was a victim of a “massive theft” by none other than his own interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. In his statement, Ohtani said he “never bet on baseball or any other sports” and that he had no prior knowledge of the incidents. After being fired late last week, it was reported that Mizuhara wired $4.5 million from Ohtani’s account for gambling debts. Additionally, Mizuhara had told ESPN that Ohtani was aware of the situation and that the star baseball player was helping him out. Ohtani denied this account on Monday, saying, “Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has told lies.” Ohtani also said Ippei never even told him or his team about talking with the media. Ohtani is entering the first season of a historic 10-year, $700 million contract signed with the Dodgers.

The NFL is expanding its Global Markets Program once more in 2024 by adding four new teams across five new markets, the league announced Monday. With the addition of the Browns, Lions, Colts, and Giants, the NFL now boasts 25 teams in 19 global markets heading into Year 3 of the program’s existence, up from the 21 teams in 14 markets just a year ago. “The momentum of the Global Markets Program underscores the strong commitment of NFL clubs to growing the game and their passionate fan bases around the world,” said Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s Executive Vice President of Club Business, Major Events & International. The expansion is part of the league’s efforts, more broadly, to grow the game.

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Golf League has a new home. The League was slated to kick off in West Palm Beach, Fla., this year; however, plans got derailed when a hurricane ripped through the projected home. After some logistical rearranging, TGL will tee off on Jan. 7 at its new site, the SoFi Center, a steel-supported structure that can withstand a Category 5 hurricane. It will also seat 1,500 fans. TGL will revolutionize the game of golf as it steps away from a traditional course and consolidates the action on a 97-yard field of play paired with a 3,000-square-foot screen. Currently, the league consists of six teams and features some of the top talent in the sport, including Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler.

Those waiting for the newest season of Euphoria will have to hold on just a little longer … sorta. Filming for Season 3 of the popular HBO television series has been delayed, but the company is still targeting a 2025 return.“HBO and Sam Levinson remain committed to making an exceptional third season,” HBO told Deadline. “In the interim, we are allowing our in-demand cast to pursue other opportunities.” Season 2 of the hit show starring Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, and Jacob Elordi aired more than two years ago and prior to this most recent development, it was expected that shooting would have begun in the next few months.

The Golden Globes will stay at CBS. The annual television and film award show announced a new broadcast deal with CBS on Monday. The new agreement also includes broadcasting rights for the American Music Awards, which will premiere across CBS and Paramount+. The news comes in the wake of CBS’s takeover from NBC, which brought in a 50% greater as compared to the 2023 show. Jay Penske, an executive with Penske Media and Dick Clark Productions, reflected on the new agreement, saying, “CBS stepped up for the Globes during a very challenging time, and inherently understood its value, while having the foresight, imagination and conviction to bring this iconic show to its many platforms. We’ve long admired CBS’ commitment to some of the greatest cultural live events and partnering for the long-term further cements this show’s legacy and incredible place in history.”

FTX, the crypto exchange company that collapsed in late 2022, has sold the majority of its stake in Anthropic for $884 million, according to a filing in the Delaware court late last week. The deal includes a slew of buyers, with the largest stake going to ATIC Third International Investment Co. The news comes after months of FTX attempting to sell its shares in the AI startup in order to pay back its clients’ lost money after going bankrupt. Andrew Dietderich, the bankruptcy attorney in the case, said, “There is still a great amount of work and risk” for FTX ahead as it attempts to fully recoup those losses.