Bennett slams NRL over Latrell ad
SOUTH Sydney coach Wayne Bennett has torn strips off the NRL over its decision to make Latrell Mitchell wear an Aboriginal flag on his back in the bungled Simply the Best advertising campaign.
Bennett used his pre-match media conference ahead of the Rabbitohs’ opening round clash tonight against Cronulla to let rip at the governing body.
“I heard the NRL say the other day they will stand behind him,” a fiery Bennett said.
“They need to stand in front of him. He was doing their job, OK. It wasn’t his idea. It wasn’t his ad.
“The NRL need to get in... and say ‘we take responsibility for what happened here. It had nothing to do with Latrell.’”
Bennett also had a crack at critics of his decision to play Mitchell in the No.1 jersey this year, saying he would “be the fullback of this club for a long time”.
A clearly seething Bennett said Mitchell was never told that his role would include wearing an Aboriginal flag.
“He was told to be at a place at 5am in the morning, thought he was going to be passing the ball to somebody,” Bennett said. “Somebody comes up to him and puts a flag on his back and says, ‘This is what we’re going to do with you.’
“Being a young man he was compliant, he didn’t carry on.
“He just did what he was asked to do.”
Asked if controversy had worried Mitchell, Bennett added: “He is not worried about it personally, but I asked some questions when I saw what was coming his way.
“The game needs to take ownership of what they did rather than sitting behind saying, ‘We are going to stand behind Latrell.’ Please.”