Latrell Mitchell accepts NRL’s punishment as South Sydney slap star with breach notice

Under-fire NRL star Latrell Mitchell has accepted the league’s sanction and will pay a hefty fine for bringing the game into disrepute.

Joey Johns has sent a warning to Latrell.

Under-fire NRL star Latrell Mitchell has accepted the league’s sanction to serve a one-match ban and pay a $20,000 fine after being embroiled in a leaked photo scandal.

The NRL is expected to force Mitchell to serve the one-match ban at the beginning of next year’s season, but the Souths have rallied to oppose that clause to have him serve it this year with their finals hopes buried and Mitchell out with injury.

“He just has to be the best Latrell he can be – it’s as simple as that,” Interim South Sydney coach Ben Hornby said on Friday.

“The boys will motivate themselves. They’re ready to go. He’ll help out where he can, but for him, it’s about getting his head right and getting himself in a good place.

“He’s been into training this week, he had his scan, it came back positive, so he’s out of the [moon] boot now. To go from being out of the boot, who knows how long it will take. It has been tough. He knows he’s put himself in that position as well.

“He’s been a lot better this week. He can get on the cardio equipment, but he hasn’t been able to run.”

It came as rugby league great Andrew Johns has weighed in on the scandal, which has now become the major story in the NRL just a few weeks before the league heads into finals.

South Sydney addressed the issue this week, handing the 27-year-old a show-cause notice calling for him to explain his involvement in the white substance photo that was leaked to social media.

Mitchell, the Rabbitohs’ highest-paid and most high-profile player, has been asked to front the club’s board and potentially face sanctions over the drama.

Mitchell had until Thursday to respond to a breach notice from the NRL, and he is expected to meet with Rabbitohs officials next week. The club has the option to either terminate Mitchell’s contract, suspend him for up to 18 rounds, or impose a fine of up to 25 per cent of his annual salary.

The Daily Telegraph reported that it is believed Mitchell will be allowed to complete his current contract, which still has three years remaining.

Souths are reportedly hesitant to suspend him for an extended period, as it could also negatively impact the team and hinder incoming coach Wayne Bennett’s efforts when he joins next season.

South Sydney has taken decisive action to address the latest Latrell Mitchell scandal.

In the meantime the club is likely to impose a hefty fine, adding to the financial penalty already issued by the NRL.

While Souths can fine Mitchell up to $250,000, the penalty is expected to be less.

Mitchell will meet with Souths’ board, which includes influential owners Russell Crowe, James Packer, and Mike Cannon-Brookes in the coming weeks.

The NRL is also expected to announce its own sanctions, which will likely involve a one-match ban and a fine. Since Mitchell is already sidelined due to injury, the NRL wants the suspension to carry over into next season, a move the Rabbitohs and the Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) disagree with.

Paul Gallen said on Wednesday the problem with Latrell might only be fixed once Bennett is back in Sydney.

Johns, on the other hand, compared Latrell’s situation with his own playing career, admitting he may have been offered leniency because of his playmaker role.

“There are times looking back I wished I would’ve slapped myself in the face, some of the carry on I did,” Johns said.

“But it’s hard for me to sit here and comment because I don’t want to sound like a hypocrite.

“Anyone who thinks a set of rules is the same for everyone in rugby league or a team sport is bullsh*t.”

“I had more rope than anyone else and I should’ve got tugged plenty of times.”

The club is likely to impose a hefty fine, adding to the financial penalty already issued by the NRL.

NSW great Brad Fittler told Nine’s 100% Footy that the Rabbitohs shot themselves in the foot by not reining in Latrell sooner.

“Where the game I thought didn’t help Latrell is early in the season, he made some comments about the Ezra Mam (being racially vilified by Spencer Leniu) case, which you can’t do as a player,” Fittler said.

“One thing I think our game does sometimes, we have this thing where we don’t want to put people off, and I thought they let Latrell down by allowing him to do that, and therefore thinking he’s above the game.

“I think it’s come back and bitten them.

“There are things you can and can’t do and I think the league let him down at the start of the season when they blurred that line, and I think ... (they’ve let him) do what he wants to do.”

RLPA head Clint Newton believes any playing ban from the NRL should take immediate effect, in line with NRL rules.

Andrew Johns has warned Latrell. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Souths will likely point to the precedent set by former Penrith player Taylan May, who was allowed to serve a suspension while injured.

May’s ban was delayed so he could play in the finals, but when he later suffered a season-ending injury, he served his suspension during his recovery.

Mitchell played 11 games this season before a foot injury ended his campaign. He is currently recovering and remains at the center of ongoing discussions regarding his future with the Rabbitohs.

Gallen smashes Mitchell, Souths over sandal

Former Sharks captain Paul Gallen gave Mitchell his due criticism but also turned his attention to the person responsible for distributing the image. He believes that legal action should be taken against the individual who took the photo.

“The person who took the photo... I think it’s illegal, there’s got to be something illegal there,” Gallen said on 2GB on Wednesday.

“The cops, or Latrell tries to sue... if this does go bad for Latrell I hope he tries to sue the person who took the photo. I’m not a cop or a lawyer but I don’t think you should be able to do that.”

‘It’s like a vicious circle.’

“I’m not trying to bag Latrell here... he put himself in a situation he probably shouldn’t have been in, he’s got to accept responsibility for that.

“But this is just a vicious circle, this is what happens every time – he does something silly or says something silly, gets suspended, does something stupid, the whole world jumps on him.

“Then he comes back, plays football the way we all know he can play, becomes the best player in the game, does crazy things that other people can’t do, then all of a sudden what do we want to do? We want to interview him again.

“So we interview him again, the media get involved, we start asking him about this and that and then Latrell says things like ‘I’ll do what I want, I’ll say how I want’... then what happens, it’s like a vicious circle.”