Phil Gould drops Latrell Mitchell truth bomb as wild 2am detail emerges
Phil Gould has shared his concerns about Rabbitohs star Latrell Mitchell with one late night detail saying it all.
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Phil Gould has dropped a truth bomb on Latrell Mitchell over the Rabbitohs star’s recent behaviour.
The fullback has been engulfed in a storm this week with the NRL widely criticised for taking no disciplinary action against him over his infamous radio outburst on Thursday night.
Mitchell was accused of showing disrespect after an expletive-laden interview following Souths’ 28-18 loss to the Broncos.
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Triple M cut its post-match interview with Mitchell short because of the offensive language he used.
Gould on Monday night shared his concerns about the 26-year-old and the direction he is heading in.
It comes as a staggering detail emerged about Mitchell’s behaviour during the club’s Las Vegas showdown with the Manly.
As first reported on Channel 9’s 100% Footy, Rabbitohs officials are getting tired of Mitchell’s behaviour and were not happy about a recent incident where he was spotted out until 2am at a club in Las Vegas two days before the team’s season-opener.
Gould spoke at length about the issues the club has with Mitchell, telling the NSW State of Origin centre to show respect.
“I said very early in his career, if you don’t pull him into line now you’re never going to be able to and I think that Latrell Mitchell has become bigger than some of the people that are trying to control him,” Gould said on 100% Footy.
“For Latrell the only advice I would have at the moment is that if he wants to be outspoken, if he wants to be heard — and he does want to be heard, he demands respect from everybody on all sorts of fronts, he speaks out openly on a number of issues, demanding respect — you also have to show respect.”
He said Mitchell’s radio outburst showed disrespect for his teammates.
“If he stops showing respect for people, people will have less respect for what he has to say," Gould said.
“The media go running to him a lot on a lot of issues because they know he will comment. “They are going to use him up and he will be found out if he keeps allowing them to do that.
“He will be found out because people won’t listen to him anymore unless he starts to show respect for the game and people within the game, his teammates and everyone else trying to make a living out of the game.
“What he did the other night was disrespectful, simple as that.”
Gould said there is no easy fix to stop Mitchell from stepping out of line.
“He was determined on being very individual and set apart from everybody else,” Gould said about the start of Mitchell’s NRL career with the Roosters.
“On the field, he is an elite talent. But off the field you have responsibilities, as simple as that.
“The people who had him didn’t rein him in and it’s been allowed to exacerbate to where it is at the point now where the game can’t even step up and control him.
“They think that treating him like that is going to fix it? It won’t until somebody sits him down and he understands the facts of life and the facts of the life that he is in right now. Just who is big enough and strong enough to do that, I don’t know.”
Former NSW State of Origin captain Paul Gallen was also unimpressed by Mitchell’s radio interview — but not because of the language used.
“I think the biggest thing for me which raised my eyebrows and I thought, ‘That’s not a good look’, was when after he did the language he went straight to speaking about his 100 tries and said how happy he was,” Gallen said on Channel 9.
“That is the part for me. If you are a Souths fan or you’re a Souths player you’d think, ‘Latrell it’s not about you mate. It’s about the team and about the fact we just lost our second game in a row’. That was the issue for me.
“For me it was the fact that he was happy at the back end of the game where they’d just been beaten. As a former player, I would have been a bit frustrated.”
When asked about his try scoring milestone, Mitchell said after the game: “But I’m very happy, scored 100 tries so that’s something to celebrate tonight. Yeah, everyone doesn’t give a f**k but anyways”.
There was a mixed reception to the interview with some calling for Mitchell to be suspended.
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo is reportedly working to set up a meeting with Mitchell to discuss his concerns about Mitchell’s recent behaviour.
The lack of action has left some NRL commentators up in arms.
Rugby league radio commentator Mark Levy said it was “absolutely disgraceful”.
“WHAT!!!!! So the NRL is happy for a “role model” in our game to drop 5 f-bombs while acknowledging his foul language and making no apologies for it in a radio IV,” the 2GB commentator said.
“I am lost for words. Latrell should be sanctioned and reminded of his responsibilities. Absolutely disgraceful.”
It comes after Mitchell was also widely slammed for the radio interview in the first place.
Diehard Souths fan and Triple M commentator Anthony Maroon was particularly passionately about the incident.
“Latrell Mitchell’s behaviour last night, mate if you happen to be listening, you are an absolute disgrace,” Maroon said.
“You are an embarrassment to our jumper and the tradition and the people it represents.
“For you to get on Triple M live on air and drop the F bomb half a dozen times and then give yourself credit for scoring 100 tries, I honestly cannot fathom what’s going on in your head.
“If any of the hierarchy at our club is listening, for god’s sake, pull this bloke into line.”
Originally published as Phil Gould drops Latrell Mitchell truth bomb as wild 2am detail emerges
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