Mitchell in hot water over F-bomb rant
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo is seeking an urgent meeting with Latrell Mitchell to discuss the South Sydney’s star expletive-laden radio interview last Thursday night.
It comes as NRL fans demand Mitchell be fined for dropping the F-bomb five times in a 30-second postmatch, on-field chat with Triple M.
Mitchell will avoid an NRL breach notice but Abdo wants to talk with Mitchell about the game’s behavioural expectations and standards. The NRL desperately wants and needs Mitchell to be a role model.
Abdo has contacted Souths CEO Blake Solly to try and arrange a meeting with Mitchell this week.
Mitchell’s decision to speak publicly about the Spencer Leniu racism row – before last week’s judiciary hearing was held – has also been questioned.
Triple M was forced to cut short the interview.
No doubt Mitchell was emotion-charged after the loss to Brisbane, with most fans generally accepting of a player dropping the odd swear word just moments after a game.
But five F-bombs in 30 seconds has alarm bells ringing at the NRL.
“F…, I don’t care if I’m swearing, honestly,” Mitchell said.
Veteran radio broadcaster
Peter Peters supported Mitchell, telling the Big Sports Breakfast Weekend radio show: “Players after a game, with a microphone shoved under their nose, are likely to say anything.
“Latrell can do better, he’s better than that, but if we want live interviews we’re going to have to accept these things happening. We have to take the good with the bad.”
An online Daily Telegraph poll asked respondents whether Mitchell should be fined, cleared or given a warning.
More than 80 per cent wanted him fined $5000.
“I was up in the box for that one, it just felt totally unnecessary to me,” said Triple M’s former Panthers grand final centre Ryan Girdler. “You don’t need to go on three or four times to make a point of swearing.
“I was thinking at the time, like if my two little girls were in the car … it puts parents in an uncomfortable position. Even if you do it once you apologise because you can get caught up in the moment.”
Melbourne halves stocks have taken a huge blow with Jahrome Hughes facing a twogame ban for making illegal contact with referee Chris Butler in the Storm’s thrilling win over the Warriors on Saturday night.
Hughes can be seen to shove Butler, who goes crashing to the ground, while the halfback is attempting to defend a Warriors attacking play in the 58th minute.
The incident was viewed as comical by some commentators and pundits alike but the match review committee took the opposite view, charging Hughes with grade two contrary conduct on Sunday.
Hughes will cop one week with an early plea.
The charge could not have come at a worse time for coach Craig Bellamy as the side prepares to take on Newcastle next Sunday.
Mystery continues to surround five-eighth Cameron Munster, who is yet to take the field in 2024 with a troublesome groin injury.
Munster is still a week-toweek proposition and no guarantee of being cleared to return for the Knights clash.