The Rugby League Players Association will offer its full support to Latrell Mitchell and Jack Wighton over the coming weeks, while also bracing for a crucial few days of collective bargaining agreement negotiations with the NRL.
Mitchell and Wighton were arrested on Sunday morning for allegedly wrestling outside a Canberra nightclub as they celebrated the Raiders star’s 30th birthday.
The pair spent the night in a Canberra police cell and will front the ACT Magistrates Court on February 22, just days out from the new season.
The star duo flew out of Sydney on Monday morning to head to New Zealand for the annual All Stars game, with their management team No Limit releasing a statement on their behalf.
“For legal reasons we cannot comment on the charges that are before the Court at the moment,” the statement read.
“However, we wanted to express remorse for putting ourselves in the position to embarrass our clubs and the NRL over the weekend.
“We were there to celebrate Jack’s 30th with family and friends. While everyone enjoyed a great night, we understand that our wrestle, as harmless as we believed it to be, was a poor decision and may have looked bad.
“We are sorry for this, and know that we need to be better when in public.
“We remain great friends and are looking forward to proudly representing our community at All Stars this weekend.”
The RLPA was approached for comment and provided this statement to NCA NewsWire.
“We have reached out to both of them and have been in contact,” RLPA CEO Clint Newton said.
“This is a police matter, and we will continue to offer our support for when the players require it.
“That process with players and clubs will run its course and we will fully support both players, work through this matter and be in a position to comment further following the conclusion of the criminal process.”
It’s a busy week ahead for Newton and the RLPA as they continue to work with the NRL to sort out the CBA which has been delayed by more than three months.
While the NRL announced historic increases to the salary cap for male and female players just before Christmas, key details around long-term health cover as well as major NRLW policy reform are yet to be agreed upon.
It’s why the talks this week between Newton, the players and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo are so important, with the women’s competition still without a kick-off date, meaning players can’t sign deals, with four new teams set to join.
“The CBA negotiations are ongoing, and it will be another big week with a focus on finalising the NRLW financial model and various key policies, to put those players in the best position to sign contracts,” Newton said.
“There is still a lot of work to do, and there are still compromises that need to be made by the NRL and clubs.”
