From the Daily Telegraph,
Mitchell impact still positive despite it ending his Season
Danny Weidler
September 5, 2021 — 5.00am
The Latrell Mitchell who spoke to 1050 kids on Zoom on Tuesday was a far cry from the one media outlets had portrayed for the previous 72 hours.
This Mitchell was freely sharing his life experiences and offering life advice, just days after his darkest hour as a footballer. Mitchell had left friend and former teammate Joey Manu with a broken cheekbone on Friday, for which he was hit with a season-ending suspension, but spent time talking to kids doing it tough.
It came at the same time as his parents were moving into a house he bought for them in Taree.
These facts don’t sit well with the hysterical commentary surrounding Mitchell that poured out of the Twitter sewer and into the pages of usually reputable media outlets in the days after the match. The personal attacks on him are not worth repeating. They are also misdirected, given his upstanding off-field behaviour in dealing with the consequences of a brain snap on the field.
I’m not close to Mitchell, even though I’ve tried to forge a relationship. We talk when I see him, usually with a microphone in my hand. He doesn’t return my calls. We are not at loggerheads, nor are we friends.
To say I’m sticking up for his on-field actions is wrong. Mitchell should have been sent off. He deserved the six-week ban but to say he was trying to deliberately hurt Manu, as some have, is just plain wrong.
He is an aggressive footballer who is happy to treat everyone as his enemy on the field – just ask Queensland’s Dane Gagai, his Souths teammate, who Mitchell terrorised during this year’s State of Origin. Those bagging Mitchell for the Manu hit were the same praising him as he imposed himself on the interstate series.
He must learn how to best use his considerable power, because it has the potential to see him become a great of the game or shorten his career. I’d love to see his career play out over a decade or more, because he is important to the game – as his community work illustrates.
On Tuesday morning, he spoke with 1050 kids participating in Souths Cares programs on a video call. During his day off, he spent close to an hour talking to the kids and answering their questions about football and life.
He talked about what it took for him to reach the NRL, about setting small goals to reach bigger ones; he told them about the importance of respecting your parents and teachers. He emphasised finding time to still be a kid and have fun, and encouraged kids to chase their dreams.
He talked about the pride he has in representing his club, state and country but that he is most proud of representing the Indigenous All Stars because of what it means to his family (unfortunately, the NRL has ruled him out of next year’s All Stars clash due to his suspension).
He spoke about playing for South Sydney just as his dad Matt did, and about his greatest achievement: bringing up his two daughters.
“He’s such a humble man that has achieved so much at his age,” Alisha Parker-Elrez, general manager of Souths Cares, said. “He’s 24 years old, achieved so much on and off the field, but the highlight of his week was his parents moving into the house that he’s bought for them. He’s the first to check in with people if they are having a tough time, no matter what’s happening with him.
“He’s the most humble high-profile person at his age that I’ve come across in the NRL. He could have pulled out of this Zoom conference, but he rang me and said, ‘I’m committed to talking to these kids and I want to give back as much as I can’.
“We’ve talked regularly about how he can help Souths Cares during this time, and he is committed to giving back to the community.”
On the call, Mitchell said he’d had a rough few days but that it was nothing compared to what kids in NSW are dealing with in lockdown, not being able to get out and see family and friends.
He encouraged them to talk to the people they love and respect if they are feeling down.
Those who were on the call say he was humble, respectful and that he had clearly learnt that his football isn’t the most important thing to come from his NRL career.
