Darius Boyd claims the media has made an unfair target of Latrell Mitchell
Darius Boyd has gone into bat for embattled South Sydney Rabbitohs star Latrell Mitchell, claiming the media has unfairly targeted the Test and Origin flyer.
Broncos
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Brisbane veteran Darius Boyd has criticised the media’s treatment of NRL stars like Latrell Mitchell, accusing them of putting “targets on our backs”. After coming under fire for what turned out to be a mental health support meeting with injured Broncos teammate Jack Bird, Boyd said the constant media scrutiny was not good for players’ wellbeing.
Boyd - who will retire at the end of the season - is planning to expand his thriving mental health workshops next year.
Boyd has become a fixture in recent years in the Broncos’ community programs delivering resilience workshops to schools, providing coping strategies on how people can best deal with adversity.
But he believes his cause was not helped when players such as Mitchell were pursued by the media.
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Mitchell’s wellbeing has been in the spotlight after making headlines for the wrong reasons, prompting South Sydney captain Adam Reynolds to compare media scrutiny surrounding the NRL star to that endured by Michael Jordan. “It’s fairly disappointing that media outlets target certain people,” Boyd said. “When you think about it Latrell has been chased since September, October last year.
“To continually chase people... it is definitely not looking after Latrell’s mental health and wellbeing.
“At the end of the day we are very lucky to be able to do what we do but we are also human beings.
“Just because we are perceived to be role models and on TV it doesn’t mean we should have targets on our backs, especially unwarranted ones as well.”
BOYD MENTORING BROKEN BIRD
Brisbane veteran Darius Boyd has hit back at critics for his publicised meeting with injured Bronco Jack Bird earlier this month.
The pair sparked criticism over whether they breached social distancing protocols when they were captured at a Brisbane park together on the same day Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk ticked off on the NRL season return.
Boyd said it was part of a weekly catch up with the injured Bird, who is recovering from a horrific season-ending knee injury.
The 32-year-old said he saw a “lot of his younger self” in Bird and was supporting him through the tough time.
“I’ve always enjoyed Jack’s company ever since he’s come to this club,” Boyd said.
“I see a little bit of my younger self in him, so I feel like I have some experience to help him out in different areas.
“It’s just about caring about people and making sure they know they’ve got friends and support around them.
“He’s away from his family. He’s up from Sydney. It’s his second knee injury. He’s had a sternum issue, shoulder issue when he first came as well.
“I felt like I could lend him a hand and help him out.
“We’re just mates at the end of the day and trying to lend a hand to a good mate to make sure he’s on the right track and positive about life and his future.”
It comes as the Broncos on Monday returned to full contact training for the first time in 55 days.
Broncos coach Anthony Seibold is a big believer in defensive training structures, so the playing group were straight back into a 13-a-side simulation game Monday morning.
Corey Oates (ribs), Brodie Croft (shoulder) and Alex Glenn (calf) all trained in what appeared to be the main squad after suffering injuries at the start of the year.
Injured forward Matt Lodge continued to train in the rehab group as he pushes for a May 28 return.
With a 2-0 win-loss record so far this season, Boyd said the playing group were keen to improve during the new-look competition.
“It’s just about improving on where we left off and making sure we keep ticking the boxes going forward,” Boyd said.
“We had a really good pre-season, one of the harder ones that I’ve been involved in, and that’s set a good platform.”
Originally published as Darius Boyd claims the media has made an unfair target of Latrell Mitchell