NRL greats slam South Sydney over Latrell Mitchell saga

Two NRL greats have slammed South Sydney and Latrell Mitchell over the handling of his infamous F-bomb rant on live radio.

James Graham and Latrell Mitchell. Photos: AAP/News Corp

Two greats have teed off on NRL club South Sydney for its handling of the Latrell Mitchell saga.

The story that refuses to die, Mitchell’s expletive-filled post-game interview last week, took another turn when the Rabbitohs and the Nine Network complained to the NRL about the footage that went live to air.

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That resulted in the NRL blocking Triple M from shooting post-match interviews, while Mitchell went unpunished for the shock incident considering he is such an experienced player and has done countless interviews.

Wade Graham, a former Australia and NSW rep who played 297 NRL games, slammed the reaction from Mitchell and the Rabbitohs.

“The decision to complain about it and try to shift the blame … whenever you’re in a hole and things aren’t going your way, the first thing you need to look at is yourself,” he said on Triple M NRL.

James Graham and Latrell Mitchell. Photos: AAP/News Corp

“(Thinking) ‘what can I do to make my teammates better, what can I do to get my club back on track’.

“You need to have that accountability yourself. Trying to pass the buck onto someone else is never the way.”

His on-air partner and former England captain James Graham agreed.

“It’s childish,” he said. “It’s like if you’ve got two young kids (saying) ‘but they did this’. It’s irrelevant. The fact that it’s being filmed is completely and utterly irrelevant.

“It’s almost a big admission of guilt from South Sydney.”

Former Sharks skipper Wade Graham retired last season.

Graham added that if Mitchell had only managed not to swear in the interview, as just about all athletes usually achieve, it would be a non-issue.

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo reportedly had a “tough and honest” chat with Mitchell at NRL headquarters on Wednesday night.

Earlier this week, South Sydney chairman Nick Pappas had his say on the latest cyclone of drama engulfing Mitchell.

Pappas, a lawyer and long-time chairman of the Rabbitohs, conceded Mitchell’s interview “could have been handled better”.

"The Fact That It's Being Filmed Is Irrelevant!" - Jimmy and Wado Unload On Souths pic.twitter.com/kGgFgqDvJS

— Triple M NRL (@TripleM_NRL) March 21, 2024

“The club internally is dealing with him appropriately,” Pappas told The Daily Telegraph.

“I am satisfied that the football department and (chief executive) Blake (Solly) are putting the right things in place to give him the support he needs at this time.

“I have every faith in him delivering for this club this season and beyond.

“He always has our support. At the same time it doesn’t mean I don’t believe that moment could have been handled better.

“Absolutely it could have been and I am sure Latrell would say that.”

Originally published as NRL greats slam South Sydney over Latrell Mitchell saga