Indigenous cross-code footy great fears Latrell Mitchell could SELF HARM due to constant abuse of the Rabbitohs controversy magnet

Cross-code footy greatest Andrew Walker fears Latrell Mitchell could harm himself as the Rabbitohs fullback remains a magnet for controversy.

Walker, 49, who played for the Wallabies at his peak and also starred in the NRL with the Dragons, Roosters and Sea Eagles, is a cautionary tale for other footballers.

An extremely gifted athlete, Walker turned to drugs and alcohol to ‘get away’ and was given a two-year ban from rugby league after testing positive for cocaine in 2004 when he was on Manly’s books.

The Indigenous star believes the continued criticism of Mitchell may send the 26-year-old into a dark place.

“I’m genuinely afraid that Latrell could run away or harm himself. I’ve been through what he’s going through now,” he said Broad sports world.

Due to the ongoing criticism surrounding Latrell Mitchell, teammates fear for his mental health

Manager Khoder Nasser (pictured left with rugby stars Quade Cooper, centre, and Sonny Bill Williams, right) also fears Mitchell could walk away from the NRL

“His two weeks off (due to suspension for a late hit on Knights backrower Tyson Frizell)…it could be a dangerous time for him.

“Some love needs to be shown to him. He could easily walk away – he doesn’t need the grief he is experiencing.

“For starters, he should also ban himself from social media. That’s where the haters say terrible things.’

A number of Mitchell’s teammates have also expressed concern about the superstar.

Damien Cook fears his team’s x-factor is being forced into early retirement and it is imperative that he be ‘protected’.

Fellow Bunnies star Cody Walker said it would be ‘sad’ if Mitchell hangs up his boots prematurely and skipper Cameron Murray stated that the gamebreaker’s well-being needs to be monitored.

Earlier this week, Khoder Nasser – the manager of Sonny Bill Williams and Anthony Mundine – publicly expressed his fear that Mitchell will be the next superstar to walk away from the NRL over racism and intolerance.

Sonny Bill Williams’s conversion to Islam put him under the microscope and played a part in him walking out with the Bulldogs to sign with rugby union

Anthony Mundine was racially vilified during his NRL playing days, accusing the selectors of not choosing him to play for Australia because of his race before he defected to boxing in 2000.

Rod Churchill – son of league icon Clive Churchill – labeled Mitchell a ‘myth’ and a ‘cancer’ for South Sydney in a scathing text message

It’s a racist game,” Nasser told the newspaper Sydney Morning Herald.

“It’s so blatant. It’s terrible. It drove Anthony and Sonny out of the game.

“Latrell seems to be noisy in his silence. We need to know what he feels. You can see that Latrell was really hurt here. You can’t hear or see him now, but you hear other voices around him.

“It’s sad that someone with his profile and his status in the game is in this situation where he’s being attacked from pillar to post. I hope it doesn’t drive him out of the sport altogether. I’ve seen it before.’

The Rabbitohs have been in the news in recent weeks after club great Sam Burgess was fired as assistant coach.

It is clear that he passed on his concerns about Mitchell and Walker’s ‘special treatment’ to coach Jason Demetriou before he left the club.

Rod Churchill – the son of rugby league icon Clive Churchill – then branded Mitchell a ‘myth’ and a ‘cancer’ in a series of scathing text messages.

On the field, the Rabbitohs must beat their fierce rivals the Roosters on Friday night to play the final footy.

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