Latrell Mitchell’s shock shoulder injury reveal as nightclub arrest footage emerges
Footage has emerged of Latrell Mitchell suffering an injured shoulder during a 3.45am nightclub scuffle, for which he and Jack Wighton are facing multiple charges. WATCH HERE
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NRL superstar Latrell Mitchell was supposed to be staying at Jack Wighton’s home in Canberra over the weekend to celebrate the Canberra Raiders star’s 30th birthday.
Instead he found himself face down outside a nightclub and screaming “my shoulders” in a dramatic arrest which saw both stars spend the night in police cells in the national capital.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW.
News Corp can reveal Mitchell on Sunday night sought medical assistance for a shoulder injury he suffered during the incident and will need to pass a fitness test to play in next weekend’s Indigenous All Stars match.
Graphic footage of Mitchell’s arrest involving at least four police officers emerged on Sunday night, with the NRL integrity unit now investigating.
Police charged both players with a range of offences over the incident at 3.45am outside a Canberra nightclub.
The NSW Origin and Kangaroos stars were detained and spent the night in custody in an untimely and embarrassing blow for the NRL on the eve of the season.
They will appear in court on Wednesday, February 22, the week before the NRL kick-off.
Mitchell and Wighton were released from custody around 10am.
They then went back to Wighton’s home for breakfast with their families.
And no doubt some explaining to do with their respective partners.
The pair travelled to Sydney separately to join the Indigenous All-Stars squad in the team hotel on Sunday night.
They are due to leave for New Zealand on Monday morning to play the Māori All Stars on Saturday.
Wighton refused to comment when approached by media in Canberra on Sunday.
There had been speculation the NRL would stand the players down as a result of their arrests but News Corp understands they are both available, Mitchell's injury pending.
Boxing promotor Matt Rose looks after the management of both players. He insists there was little in it.
“They are always having a wrestle,” Rose said. “They both think they are stronger than each other and are mucking around all the time. It was a bit of fun that went wrong after a few drinks.”
Rose’s comments were backed up by an eyewitness who described the incident as “nothing more than a friendly wrestle with a bit of aggression.”
The pair are incredibly close.
Mitchell almost pulled out of last year’s World Cup tour of England because he was worried about being homesick.
ACT police released a statement on Sunday morning after The Daily Telegraph broke the story.
“About 3.45am ACT Policing responded to reports of a disturbance near a nightclub on Bunda Street in the city,” a police spokesman said.
“Two men – a 30-year-old from Bywong, NSW and a 25-year-old man from Chifley, NSW – were arrested at the scene,” it said.
“The 30-year-old has been charged with fight in a public place and fail to comply with an exclusion direction, while the 25-year-old has been charged with fight in a public place, affray, and resist territory public official.”
The pair had been out celebrating Wighton’s birthday which started out at Walsh’s Hotel in Queanbeyan. Most guests left around midnight.
Wighton, Mitchell and other Canberra players moved on to Fiction nightclub in Canberra, where the incident occurred.
Initial reports of the incident shocked Rabbitohs and Raiders fans who know that the pair have been such close mates over a long period of time.
The NRL is monitoring the situation and making enquiries with ACT police.
“The NRL Integrity Unit has been made aware of this matter and is liaising with the Rabbitohs and Raiders clubs,” a spokesman said.
South Sydney and Canberra released statements confirming the NRL Integrity Unit have been informed of the matter.
Wighton has been in trouble before.
In 2018 he pleaded guilty to several charges, including a serious assault, during an alcohol-fuelled attack in Canberra’s city centre.
He was handed a 12-month suspended jail sentence and a $3500 fine.
Wighton even had a clause put in his contract in which he was barred from Canberra nightclubs.
“I signed an agreement just so I’ve got no temptation to go in there,” Wighton said at the time of the clause, which has since lapsed. “If they (Canberra) catch me in a club in the Civic area, my contract is terminated. It’s over. Straight after court I did that. I had to.”
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