Paul Kent: A life ban for young boy who abused Latrell Mitchell is unfair
There is no place for racism in rugby league, or anywhere else. But the mob calling for a life ban for the boy who abused Latrell Mitchell must be rejected writes Paul Kent.
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Many moons ago, a good century or so, the Gosford Townies were playing Ourimbah Magpies at what used to be called Grahame Park and a 12-year-old boy who looked suspiciously like me - awkward yet rugged-looking chap was the consensus - thought he was about to be the funniest lark this side of Eddie Murphy.
Rugged looks and humour was considered an unbeatable combination back in the day.
An old forward hit it up and, as the defence closed in, the timing was right to make the crowd heave with laughter.
“Give him the Christmas hold!” I yelled.
Well, my mum was all over me like white on rice.
Before the sentence was even finished it felt like she had whacked me behind the ear.
“Don’t you dare say that,” she said. “Say it again and you can go sit in the car.”
My face flared red with embarrassment, the ear burned, and for about 14 seconds I struggled to see what the problem was.
Never said it again, though.
The story is recalled here with more than a little squeamishness, a flash of life now long gone but one still strong enough in memory to be recalled in painful detail.
It was an embarrassing thing to say and left unassaulted it might have got said again, searching for more laughs when it wasn’t really all that funny, but such is the way young minds think.
That is what you call immaturity.
Thursday night another young boy, believed to be somewhere between 14 and 16, according to the NRL, which is still looking to identify him, called Latrell Mitchell a “black dog” while he walked through the tunnel at halftime.
Now, let’s get all the caveats out straight from the start.
He said the wrong thing.
He should never have said it.
There is no place for racial vilification in rugby league, in grandstand tunnels, anywhere in life, for that matter, and that includes old Grahame Park.
But the mob has descended, piling on what is an easy kill, after what happened Thursday night.
The Sydney Roosters stand with Latrell Mitchell and the entire Indigenous community.#NoRoomForRacismpic.twitter.com/baLOwkDWub
— Sydney Roosters 📠(@sydneyroosters) March 9, 2023
What better time than now for the dull of thought to express their outrage and send it into the echo chamber of social media and, increasingly, mainstream media, and wait for the bouquets to come back.
Even the NRL.
By the time calls were being made to headquarters a spokesman confirmed the NRL had “already opened an investigation” into the claims, like they were military police.
If only they moved so quickly all the time.
And the danger of it all is that in this increasingly sad world where it appears healthy to be seen doing the right thing the NRL, and the players left unchecked, will do the wrong thing.
Ban a 14- or 16-year-old kid for life?
It began after the game with Souths coach Jason Demetriou, who was impressive in his press conference after the game, like always, but was speaking from a highly emotional state with, I presume, just one side of the story.
“He’s sick of,” Demetriou said of Mitchell. “Why wouldn’t he be?”
He was passionate and spoke with love for his player.
Demetriou had the right to come forward and defend Mitchell. He spoke in place of Mitchell who had found himself in another controversy that was none of his doing, and his comments were almost all pitch perfect.
It is personal to them, so we must understand.
Latrell Mitchell leaving the sheds, taking pics with real footy fans and shaking hands with security guards. #NRL#NRLPanthersSouths@codenrlpic.twitter.com/0f1k6GhIGw
— Brendan Bradford (@1bbradfo) March 9, 2023
“He should be able to come here as a star of our game and not be racially abused,” Demetriou said.
“Who cares what colour he is? I don’t understand how that happens in this day and age.
“I can’t get my head around how a young kid thinks that is the language to be using. I don’t care what jersey he’s wearing.”
It led to widespread outrage.
Players around the game quickly jumped on board, calling on the NRL to give a life ban once the offender was found and identified.
I have trouble with this.
Demetriou knew the accuser was a young boy but how old he couldn’t have known.
But he also had no idea of his upbringing, his background, his family life, whether he even bothers to turn up to school anymore, what cards life has dealt him or what examples in life he has.
What we do know is he is a boy.
A bit wider afield, we also know there is a reason juvenile criminal records are sealed once that juvenile reaches the legal age of 18.
Young minds are capable of immature acts.
They are still developing socially, emotionally and mentally. Still immature, still learning what life is and what it is about.
Consequences are often learned the hard way, through mistakes.
Their records are sealed so their silly decisions that were made before they were old enough to think sensibly do not prejudice them for the rest of their life.
It’s a second chance in life.
What also troubles is that the heavy punishment called for in this instance, against a fan, is at odds with the NRL’s treatment of its own players in similar circumstances.
No NRL player has ever been banned for life for using a racial slur.
A few have been fined, some have been suspended and some both, and most have got away with it after simply denying it was said.
Once upon a time it was completely overlooked. The victim was told to toughen up.
Then it became excused, as something merely said in the heat of the moment. Don’t take it to heart, players were told.
Now the NRL and clubs have settled on some feel-good response where players found guilty of racially insulting opponents undergo counselling and mediation, perhaps a stint on the sidelines or a fine or both, and are soon back playing.
Tyrone Peachey accused Mitch Barnett of calling him a “black c…” in 2020. Barnett denied the racial accusation, confirming he just called him a “c…”.
That was less insulting, apparently, yet Peachey refused to back down from his original charge.
Naturally the NRL jumped on board and the Integrity Unit whirred into action but, despite there being 25 other men on the field, one even wearing a microphone, nobody heard it apparently, and so after some mediation the pair agreed to disagree and simply got on with playing football.
Outrage is harder to muster when you know the target.
Some will argue a fan in the stand is different to players vilifying each other, but the game still wants it both ways.
When James Tedesco publicly yelled “Squid games” towards an Asian woman in 2021 the NRL fined him $10,000 and, after a lengthy investigation, he publicly apologised.
No suspension.
Sometimes, a good clip over the ear is enough.
But a life ban, for a kid not old enough to vote, is too much.
@Tim_Tszyu with a shoutout to Latrell Mitchell after he was allegedly racially abused at last night’s game. pic.twitter.com/BT5mmfY6CN
— Aymon Bertah (@AymonBertah) March 10, 2023
* * * * *
TONY Harrison’s repeated mantra since landing in Australia is that Tim Tszyu has not earned the right for a world title.
Harrison says Tszyu has jumped ahead of the long list of accomplished American fighters to get his shot at the WBO light-middleweight title, which they fight for Sunday, without having the skills or record to justify his world title shot.
“Who have you fought in the top 10?” Harrison asked this week.
But here’s a little story.
When Tszyu went to America late last year to prepare for the Jermell Charlo fight, which was canned on Christmas Day after Charlo broke his hand, he landed in Los Angeles and began taking on all-comers in sparring at Joe Goossen’s Ten Goose Boxing Gym.
He then relocated to Las Vegas and, once there, they soon came from everywhere to test themselves.
The first was a young Mexican kid, who came in strong.
Then came Amari Jones, who was super impressive on the George Kambosos-Devin Haney undercard and who turned up to the gym with a posse that got scarily aggressive when Tszyu gave him the business.
Soon, word began going around that this Aussie was not the easybeat they thought and a lot of sparring partners lined up for later days soon began pulling out.
That included world rated Charles Conwell, who was not only booked as a Tszyu sparring partner and pulled out, but has landed in Sydney as a sparring partner for Harrison.
Maybe the pay was better …
‘IDIOTS IN PATHETIC WORLD’: RACISTS WON’T DESTROY NRL
- Brent Read
Yet again, rugby league has been dragged through the mud by an idiot. Age isn’t an excuse when it comes to racism. The latest protagonist may have been a teenager, but he should have known better.
So much better. Instead, rugby league’s remarkable start to the year has been overshadowed by another racism scandal involving its biggest star.
Latrell Mitchell should be celebrated, not vilified. He should be embraced, not abused. If Mitchell isn’t the best player in the game, he is certainly on the podium.
On the field, he is a wrecking ball. Off it, he is equal parts rock star and protagonist. In a world where footballers have become accustomed to saying less, not more, Mitchell is happy to speak his mind and push the boundaries.
He did it again this week with his claim that there were cracks in the windscreen at the premiers. Penrith responded on the field with an impressive performance that shook off some of their doubts surrounding their ability to win a third successive premiership.
The only cracks it appears were off the field as Mitchell was called “a b…k dog” by a punter at Penrith. Three words delivered a brutal kick in the guts to the code and its indigenous stars.
Just to be clear, this isn’t a Penrith problem. It’s bigger than that. It’s a reminder that rugby league and society in general need to be vigilant when it comes to racism. Too much education is never enough. The more, the better.
Souths coach Jason Demetriou understandably seethed in the press conference after the game as he openly wondered how in this day and age, players can still be racially abused.
Demetriou made it his mission when he took over as head coach at the Rabbitohs to become close to Mitchell. He spent time at Mitchell’s farm near Taree. He worked hard to build a personal relationship and his voice quivered with rage as he addressed the Mitchell abuse.
The sense of anger and disappointment was no doubt felt across the rugby league community. Sadly, one fool has muddied all our names.
Mitchell no doubt will dust himself off and go again next week. This sort of rubbish has tragically chased him his whole life. Two years ago, he made a very public stand after he received racist abuse online.
“If you see it, call it out,” Mitchell said at the time.
“I have been copping this all my life, since (I was) an eight year old kid. My ancestors before me have. Nothing is changing.”
How prophetic those words were. Now, Mitchell has called it out again and you can only applaud as he makes another stand.
Mitchell is one of the most dominant players in the code but his impact off the field overshadows most things he does on it.
It also makes him a target for idiots who are trapped in a pathetic world. Some sad and bitter rugby league fans will only be happy when Mitchell is driven out of the game.
What a tragedy that would be. We need more like Mitchell, not less.
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