Sonny Bill Williams and Anthony Mundine’s manager fears Latrell Mitchell will be the next superstar to walk away from the NRL over racism and intolerance.
The Rabbitohs fullback is under intense pressure over allegations that he is receiving special treatment as the Bunnies battle to keep their season alive in their must-win game against the Sydney Roosters in the final round of the competition.
Khoder Nasser is Williams and Mundine’s manager and stood by their side as they left the NRL at least in part over intolerant comments about their race and religion.
Mitchell took time away from town during the Rabbitohs bye round to reconnect with the land and clear his mind
Williams wrote in his book You can’t stop the sun from shining that the intense criticism he received for his conversion to Islam was instrumental in his running away from the NRL.
“People started talking about me associating with Muslims and asking why I associated with ‘people like that,'” he wrote.
‘Those’ as in Muslims. This just brought out the steel in me and increased my hackles. I had to change for my own happiness and contentment, and to find inner peace.’
Mundine famously accused the selectors of robbing him of an Australian jersey during his race, while also furious over the paltry $10,000 fine given to Barry Ward when he was racially abused at the Bulldogs star in 1998 .
“Boxing is a very clear option for me and maybe I’ll get into it now… Rugby league may be too willing to tolerate racism,” he said before leaving midway through the 2000 season.
Now Nasser fears that Mitchell will be the next to leave the sport.
Manager Khoder Nasser (pictured left with rugby stars Quade Cooper, centre, and Sonny Bill Williams) fears Mitchell could walk away from the NRL
Mundine was racially vilified during his footy days, accusing the selectors of not choosing him to play for Australia because of his race before he defected to boxing.
Sonny Bill Williams’s conversion to Islam put him under the microscope and that played a part in the Bulldogs running away to sign with rugby union
Racial abuse was leveled against Mitchell at half-time in Souths’ 16-10 loss to Penrith in March and social media has been a cesspool of racist comments ever since.
Subsequently, Rod Churchill, the son of rugby legend Clive Churchill, sent a scathing text message to Rabbitohs chairman Nick Pappas calling Mitchell a ‘cancer’ for the club.
“Where was the human head Mitchell tonight, Nicholas?” Churchill texted Pappas after Souths lost 36-16 to Parramatta at the native round in May.
Missing again, apparently this was his big game? Your club won’t win a league for the next 40 years if this imposter stays at Souths.
‘He’s a complete myth who has the Indigenous (sic) cause first and South Sydney (sic) second, if at all. I hope you and your family are doing well. Nothing has been done and now this cancer, Mitchell, has ruined the club.’
Clive Churchill, left, has his name on the medal awarded each year to the best player in the NRL grand final, but his son has tarnished that with his comments about Mitchell
Rod Churchill called Mitchell a ‘cancer’ for the club in a scorching text message for which he has since apologised
Churchill would subsequently release a full-page apology for his comments.
“I cannot take back the things I have said, but on reflection I regret all my comments,” the letter read in part.
“My reaction was out of frustration and passion for the Rabbitohs. I went too far and I’m very sorry.’
Now Nasser has said the same racism that robbed the NRL of Williams and Mundine could also claim Mitchell.
“It’s a racist game,” Nasser said the Sydney Morning Herald.
“It’s so blatant. It’s terrible. It drove Anthony and Sonny out of the game. They need to be told because you want things to move forward. You don’t want it to be where Anthony Mundine and Sonny were. Anthony Mundine was very vocal and rightly so.
“He had zero tolerance for any form of racism he encountered and still is. No one has gone through what Anthony Mundine has gone through, but people have a different way of dealing with these things.
Anthony was outspoken about it. Latrell seems to be loud 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.
“I don’t think there’s a fair-minded person who wouldn’t agree that the plight of the Aboriginal people in this country is much more important than your football team,” Nasser said.
Mitchell has remained largely silent during the turmoil at Souths, which saw club legend Sam Burgess sacked as assistant coach amid allegations that Mitchell and fellow Indigenous star Cody Walker were being given preferential treatment.
He did post some messages to his fans on Instagram, including an image featuring jockey Ron “Black Magic” Simpson with the caption, “It was good to get away and break away from the rat race.
Sonny Bill Williams said he was never criticized in the NRL until he converted to Islam, leading to a slew of abuses
Sacked South Sydney assistant coach Sam Burgess won the 2014 NRL Grand Final alongside Greg Inglis, who Williams says should replace him at the Bunnies
Meanwhile, Williams has approved former Melbourne Storm and South Sydney champion Greg Inglis as the next assistant coach with the Bunnies.
The two superstars attended this weekend’s JDRF Night of Champ1ons gala event that focused on sports champions and type 1 diabetes research.
Williams said Inglis would be the perfect counterpart to help settle the turmoil at Redfern.
“Given what is happening at South’s ATM I think he would be a perfect fit for the club,” Williams wrote on social media.
“As a Pacifica player, I always had a relationship with Pacifica/Indigenous players. The native guys I know have always talked about similar experiences.
“Nothing against anyone, it’s just the way it is. I believe being a coach is more than just knowing strategy, it also means being able to connect with players on a deeper level. ‘