NRL 2024: South Sydney have power to fine Latrell Mitchell $250,000 over white substance scandal

South Sydney have the ability to fine Latrell Mitchell up to one-quarter of his reported $1 million salary as the club prepares to hand down their own sanctions over the white substance scandal.

Latrell Mitchell. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

South Sydney have the power to fine Latrell Mitchell as much as $250,000 as they prepare to hand down their own sanctions to their superstar fullback over the white substance scandal.

Mitchell has until the middle of this week to respond to an NRL breach notice after being captured standing over a white substance while on a recent trip to Dubbo for a women’s coaching clinic.

He is expected to accept the sanctions from head office, including a fine and a one-match ban. Attention will then turn to South Sydney and their handling of Mitchell’s situation, which has shone the light on his future at the club.

It is understood senior officials at Souths are ropeable with the latest incident and are preparing to take action of their own after reaching the end of their tether with their highest-paid player.

Mitchell is expected to front the board and be given a final warning as well as significant sanctions - under the terms of the standard NRL contract, Souths have the ability to caution Mitchell; fine him up to one-quarter of his salary; suspend him for 18 matches; terminate his deal or take no action.

The imminent arrival of seven-time premiership winner Wayne Bennett at the club has gone a long way towards ensuring Mitchell does not have his contract torn up.

There is also a view that suspending Mitchell would harm the club and his teammates rather than deliver a message to the player at the centre of the drama.

As a result, the Rabbitohs are believed to be weighing up a large fine for Mitchell. While it won’t be in the realm of the $250,000 that they are capable of dishing out - Mitchell is on a deal worth about $1 million a season - the Rabbitohs fullback will be much lighter in the hip pocket once the board has arrived at a final decision.

Mitchell has had a difficult year and his season came to an end when he suffered a foot injury several weeks ago. He had only played 11 games prior to that after a start to the year that featured a number of weeks in the headlines.

A supplied image that alleges to show NRL Star Latrell Mitchell with a white substance. Picture: Supplied

This year alone, senior figures at the club were known to be disappointed with his expletive-ladened interview on Triple M and then his suspension for an elbow on Warriors star Shaun Johnson.

There was also frustration, albeit to a lesser extent, with Mitchell’s public feud with Sydney Rosters prop Spencer Leniu over his racial attack on Brisbane five-eighth Ezra Mam in Las Vegas.

While the club was supportive of Mitchell’s stance and has always backed his right to stand up for what he believes in, the issue dragged on for weeks and led to a public war of words with Anthony Mundine.

Against that backdrop, he bounced back from missing out on the start of the State of Origin series to play a starring role as the Blues secured a series win. It only served to heighten the frustration at Souths over his lack of football at club level.

It was also a reminder that at his best, Mitchell is capable of winning games on his own.

For all the good he does for the game - and there is plenty of it, particularly in the indigenous space - Mitchell has in recent times been a magnet for criticism.

South Sydney had stood by him and given him their support but they have every right to ask now whether that is being reciprocated given the images that emerged earlier this week, which shows Mitchell leaning over a white substance in a hotel room.

While there is no suggestion Mitchell was doing anything illegal, the images were not a good reflection on the game or Souths.

Originally published as NRL 2024: South Sydney have power to fine Latrell Mitchell $250,000 over white substance scandal