NSW Police announces fate of teen after Latrell Mitchell slur

The teenager alleged to have racially abused Latrell Mitchell has learned his fate — but the NRL is not done yet.

PENRITH, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 04: Latrell Mitchell of the Rabbitohs gestures to the crowd during the round one NRL match between Cronulla Sharks and South Sydney Rabbitohs at BlueBet Stadium on March 04, 2023 in Cronulla, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

The teenage boy alleged to have racially abused South Sydney fullback Latrell Mitchell has been given a warning, NSW Police confirmed on Thursday afternoon.

In a statement provided to The Sydney Morning Herald, NSW Police confirmed its investigation was “now complete”.

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“Following inquiries by officers attached to Nepean Police Area Command, a 14-year-old boy has been spoken to and issued a warning under the Young Offenders Act,” NSW Police said in a statement.

The report added that the teenager is not expected to be charged while the NRL’s integrity unit said its investigation into the incident is still ongoing.

A report from The Herald earlier in the week claimed that the teenager at the centre of the incident denied any comments he made were racially motivated.

Mitchell’s teammate Keaon Koloamatangi, however, supported his teammate’s version of events when speaking to The Herald.

“I heard it, I didn’t know if I had heard it right [at first], then ‘Trell’ turned around and said he heard it, too,” Koloamatangi, who was walking behind Mitchell as they headed up the tunnel, said.

“That confirmed to me what the kid said. Multiple people heard the same thing. I turned around trying to figure out who it was.

“There was a kid. He was only young, there was a bit of commotion in the tunnel, but the kid made it pretty obvious it was him because he was looking away and everyone else was looking down at the tunnel.”

Meanwhile the boy’s father, who was seated in a different area, reportedly told police his son “shouldn’t have said what he said”, according to The Daily Telegraph.

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo called the alleged abuse “completely unacceptable” in the wake of the incident.

“You’re not welcome in our game,” he said.

“You’re going to be called out. You’re going to be called out by players, by fans, by officials and eventually it becomes eradicated.”

Originally published as NSW Police announces fate of teen after Latrell Mitchell slur