Two men were arrested last Friday,including a 22-year-old from Mitchell’s hometown of Taree,for sending the South Sydney star abusive and racist messages.
The pair were investigated by the engagement and hate crime unit and the fixated persons investigation unit before being charged with ‘use carriage service to menace,harass or cause offence’.
A fed-up Mitchell,who said he was exhausted by the abuse he has received since he was just eight years old,spoke candidly on Monday about why he decided to take his response to police.
“Today I’m taking a stand on it and I want everyone out there to know they can stand up to it,too,” he said.
“I’ve always aired them[trolls] out on social media and given them air time,but I was wasting my energy doing that.”
Instead,he sent the messages to his management team and asked them to get authorities involved. He now wants to set up a process with the clubs and the NRL executive to encourage others to do the same. Mitchell declined to divulge details about the latest messages because the matter is before the courts.