Latrell Mitchell admits online abuse directed to Jack Wighton 'opened up a few wounds', calls for action to stamp racism out

Latrell Mitchell has admitted that the online abuse that his future Rabbitohs teammate and good friend Jack Wighton copped ‘opened up a few wounds’.

Last week, it was announced that the Raiders star would be making the switch to South Sydney for the start of the 2024 season.

In the aftermath of the announcement, the star five-eighth revealed the nasty racial abuse he had suffered online.

He shared a screenshot of an Instagram DM that included a racial slur to target Wighton, a Wiradjuri man.

It mirrored a similar incident earlier in the season, in which Latrell had been subject to racial abuse during a clash with the Penrith Panthers.

The star fullback spoke to SPORTbible ahead of Magic Round where he called for the NRL to work with authorities to help stamp such racism out of the game.

He said: “It’s nothing new to rugby league players, being an Aboriginal man and getting racially vilified is nothing new.

“It continues to happen and obviously, there are no repercussions to be able to combat this and I think the NRL need to stand up and work with the Integrity Unit and Police to be able to get this out of the game.

“It definitely opened up a few wounds for myself.

“Seeing it happen to not only one of my best mates but a family member, it’s really disappointing to see. It’s 2023 you’d think we’d be moving on from that now.”

The abuse suffered by both men goes beyond the sport, and is a far deeper issue.

With the two men both high-profile players in the game, it is perhaps up to big-name figures or politicians to reach out and get their perspective on how to combat such issues.

A name that Mitchell suggested - the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

He said: “[Mr] Albanese is a mad Rabbits fan, so I think there are some conversations that can be had there.

“It’s a conversation when we catch up next time at the game.”

The 25-year-old hasn’t let the issues put him off his game though, as he wants to continue to put on performances that will have people talking.

But as he says, there’s a ‘fine line’ when it comes to the passion some footy fans show.

He added: “I just want to focus on footy and p**s off a few more people in the next few weeks.

“It’s rugby league, people are very passionate but there’s a fine line between passion and being a d**khead.”