Some high-profile sports stars have thrown their support behind Rabbitohs fullback Latrell Mitchell as he deals with the fallout over the ‘white powder’ photo scandal.
A leaked photo is a huge headache for the South Sydney star who, for now, is staying silent while the NRL integrity unit investigates.
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Holed up at home in Sydney’s south, Mitchell, 27, refused to answer questions today (Tuesday) instead leaving it to his senior advisor to face the cameras.
“Latrell is doing OK,” manager Matt Rose told 7NEWS.
“Yeah, I mean, at this stage under NRL rules he can’t make any comment.”
The photograph appears to show Mitchell leaning over a table with a white substance.
There is no suggestion it is an illicit drug.
The photo is believed to have been taken in Dubbo over the weekend, where the injured Mitchell was conducting a women’s football skill clinic.
“Has he had a chance to actually speak to the integrity unit yet to explain himself? That’s all happening at the moment,” Rose said.
“Once that’s finished he’ll be able to speak to you then.”
Panthers star and Mitchell’s friend Jarome Luai said it was a sensitive topic.
“I think it’s a pretty touchy subject when you start talking about that stuff,” Luai said.
“I think reflecting on it I just wanna make sure personally that I’m doing the right thing and I have a positive message for my audience.
“All the best to him. I’m sure he’s feeling really remorseful on what’s happened.”
An anonymous woman with blonde hair also appears in the photo.
And, another friend of Mitchell’s, Mitchell Pearce, has called for the NRL to come down hard on the person who filmed his mate.
On Tuesday, Pearce turned the blowtorch on the person who took the photo and subsequently leaked it, admitting he felt for his former Sydney Roosters teammate.
“I hope someone comes down hard on the person who’s filming these things,” Pearce said on the Half-Time podcast.
“It would be good to know what the laws are around this because it’s bullshit.
“You’d hope it’s not his mate, but whoever was in there and doing that stuff needs big repercussions.
“The game needs to find out who these people are and go hard on them.
“They should name and shame them because these people get away with murder and there’s no repercussions.”
Pearce had his own off-field scandals, including being banned for eight games and fined $75,000, when images of him simulating a lewd act with a dog surfaced in 2016.
Todd Carney also felt for Mitchell after his career ended two years earlier when an image of him performing a lewd act in a nightclub was also shared on social media.
“It’s sad to see the privacy broken again for a sports player,” Carney said on the same podcast.
“It’s a horrible feeling being on the back page at the best of times for anything, but it’s just sad to see because while we don’t know if he’s done the wrong thing or not.
“People listening will be saying ‘they shouldn’t have done the wrong thing’.
“But if he’s in an environment with his mates or whatever, by the looks of it, someone has taken from a distance.
“My worry is now for Latrell and how he handles it, what he does in the next 24 hours and if he comes out and owns it or shies away from it.
“That’s the concern for a player because we’re all human and we make mistakes.”
Mitchell is currently sidelined by a foot injury with no guarantee he will return this season given the Rabbitohs are out of finals contention.
Mitchell is believed to have stayed the night in Dubbo after the coaching clinics.
The club has vehemently defended its decision to allow him to go the NSW country town for the weekend rather than attend its Round 22 clash with Cronulla.
He has not played since injuring his foot in Round 18 against Parramatta.
The Rabbitohs do not expect him to return at all this season.
He has played just 11 games this year.
– With AAP