Furious Russell Crowe ‘hung up on Sam Burgess’ during heated phone call that led to footy legend’s South Sydney exit… as club chief insists ‘special treatment’ of Latrell Mitchell is ‘complete c**p’

Russell Crowe and South Sydney co-owner Sam Burgess were reportedly involved in a fiery telephone conversation with a Rabbitohs board member as the club’s season threatened to unravel.

The Rabbitohs’ season was thrown into turmoil earlier this week when assistant coaches Burgess and John Morris reportedly spoke to Bunnies boss Jason Demetriou about his alleged special treatment of Latrell Mitchel and Cody Walker.

According to Fox Sports, Crowe was trying to broker peace between the coaching staff and board members.

The Hollywood star reportedly asked Burgess if he felt everyone was on the same page at the club and if the Bunnies could salvage their season as they are in danger of missing out on a place in the top eight.

But when the former England dual-code international simply stated his grievances about the current circumstances and failed to answer his questions, the Hollywood star reportedly hung up.

Meanwhile, South CEO Blake Solly has hit back at the criticism of Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker, dismissing rumors that they were not fully involved with the club as ‘complete c**p’.

But Solly vehemently denounced suggestions that the star duo were held to different standards than their teammates.

“How dare people question their commitment to the club,” he told the club Daily telegram.

“The things being said around Cody and Latrell are complete nonsense. No one should ever question their commitment to this club.”

The Souths CEO was also blunt when he criticized the Bunnies’ leadership team, which includes Mitchell, Walker, Campbell Graham, Cam Murray, Damien Cook and Jai Arrow.

“The suggestion that any of these leaders have no passion for the club is also utter nonsense,” he said.

“Latrell and Cody’s passion for the Rabbitohs is equal to that of every player at our club.

South Sydney CEO Blake Solly (right) has hit back at criticism of Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker

Rabbitohs boss Jason Demetriou is under pressure for allegedly not holding Mitchell and Walker to the same standards as other players at the club

“We’ve been very conscious over the past two years to have our senior player leaders – Cody, Latrell, Jai, Cameron and Damien – take more ownership and responsibility for the team.”

But when the former England dual-code international simply stated his grievances about the current circumstances and failed to answer his questions, the Hollywood star reportedly hung up.

After following the NRL through the first half of the season, the Rabbitohs are in bad shape and will need to beat old foes the Roosters in the final round to have any hope of playing finals.

With the club struggling, the microscope has been applied to superstars Mitchell and Walker, scrutinizing the $1 million fullback.

Mitchell has been called out for a series of ‘lazy’ incidents both on and off the field.

He will miss the Rabbitohs’ clash with the Roosters in Round 27 – Souths have a bye this week – as he defeated Newcastle striker Tyson Frizell in his team’s 29-10 loss to the Knights on Sunday.

Mitchell has been criticized lately for underwhelming performance and behavior off the field

Walker is also under scrutiny after reportedly having a heated clash with Demetriou following the club’s loss to the Sharks earlier this month

Demetriou described Mitchell’s elbow as ‘silly’ and Souths opted to take an early plea of ​​guilt and a one match suspension for the fullback, who may have played his last game of the season if the Souths don’t get there next Friday manage to defeat the Roosters.

The Australia international was of no help to his cause after he was spotted drinking beer on stage with country singer Luke Coombs in Sydney in the days leading up to the Knights’ defeat.

According to Fox sportWalker had ‘quite a discussion’ with Demetriou after Souths’ loss to Cronulla in round 24, but the five-eighth was one of the team’s better performers this year.

During his speech on Wednesday, Demetriou responded to the rumors of preferential treatment.

“Latrell is a big presence, as was Sam when he played, but to say that he (Mitchell) dominates the club (…) he’s part of the leadership team,” he said.

“Cameron Murray is our captain and is doing a fantastic job as a leader at this club.

Sam Burgess left his role as South Sydney assistant coach on Wednesday

“Does (Mitchell) dominate the club? No, it’s a ridiculous comment. He was out for three months, who dominated the club then?

“One minute everyone was saying we were too soft on him and that they run the club. And the next moment I’m arguing with everyone. So which one is it?’

Solly’s tantrum came just hours after Souths confirmed that Burgess and Morris had both left the club following a hectic day of encounters involving Souths’ power brokers.

Burgess was due to leave at the end of the season to return to England and take over as head coach of Warrington Wolves from 2024, but is reportedly set to receive a $700,000 payout after leaving Redfern.