Rugby league icon Phil Gould has delivered a blunt message to Souths star Latrell Mitchell after the fullback came under fire for swearing multiple times in a radio interview after the club's loss to the Brisbane Broncos.
Gould, who now works with the Canterbury Bulldogs as the General Manager of Football, declared that Mitchell's comments were "disrespectful", and that throughout Mitchell's career, those closest to the Bunnies star had failed to reign him in.
In all, Mitchellย swore five times in 30 seconds in a post-match interview last Thursday evening.
Although he avoided any fine or sanction from the NRL or the Rabbitohs, it is understood that NRL Chief Executive Andrew Abdo is set to meet with him later this week.
"I said very early in his career, if you don't pull him into line now you're never going to be able to and I think that Latrell Mitchell has become bigger than some of the people that are trying to control him," Gould said onย 100% Footy.
"For Latrell the only advice I would have at the moment is that if he wants to be outspoken, if he wants to be heard - and he does want to be heard, he demands respect from everybody on all sorts of fronts, he speaks out openly on a number of issues, demanding respect - you also have to show respect.
"And that's all that was the other night, I'm not worried about the expletive language ... it doesn't offend me, but at that time at that place on that platform, you don't swear, it's as simple as that.
"For him to do that is a total lack of respect, a lack of respect for his teammates, for the game, for the media, and the people that are listening at home wanting to see how he felt after that game.
"He needs to respect those processes as much as he wants people to respect the things that he's passionate about. It's as simple as that.
"And if he stopped showing respect for people, people are going to have less respect for what he has to say.
"The media go running to him a lot, on a lot of issues because they know he will comment. And they're going to use him up and he's going to be found out if he keeps allowing them to do that.
"He's also going to be found out because people won't listen to him anymore unless he starts to show respect for the game and people within the game, his teammates and everyone else who's trying to make a living out of the game.
"What he did the other night was disrespectful, simple as that."
On Monday evening, Mitchell posted about the incident on social media, breaking his silence on the expletive radio rant.
โThere was no intent. No malice. Let's move on. Great weekend ahead, Friday night lights," he said.
His comments on his Instagram story were paired with a Fox League Instagram post quoting Rabbitohs captain and teammate Cameron Murray.
โI'm sure if Latrell has his time over again, he'd be a bit more selective with his words. But that's what happens when you grab someone 30 seconds after a game," Murray said on Monday afternoon.
Phil Gould will continue to speak on Latrell Mitchell and double down on his previous statement revealing that the NRL no longer has any control on him or on the issue and a change to his actions should have happened years ago.
"I commented on this many years ago when he was young because you could just see it," he added.
"It was in the embryo stage at the time, I said you need to get over the top of this straightaway because this is a team game. You represent your club, you represent the team, you represent the game as a whole.
"And Latrell was determined on being very individual and very set apart from everybody else. Now he is on the field. He's an elite talent.
"There's no doubt about it. But off the field, you have responsibilities. It's as simple as that and the people that have had him didn't rein him in.
"It's been allowed to exacerbate to where it is the point now that the game can't even step up and control it.
"They think that treating him like that is going to fix it. It won't until someone sits the Latrell down and (makes sure) he understands the facts of life, and the facts of life that he's in right now.
"Now just who's big and strong enough to do that? I don't know."
