NRL All-Stars Jack Wighton and Latrell Mitchell have apologised for the "harmless" wrestle that got them arrested outside of a Canberra nightclub over the weekend.
While celebrating Wighton's 30th birthday, the pair had a scuffle outside Fiction nightclub on Bunda Street on Sunday morning.
A photo posted by Latrell Mitchell his Instagram story of the pair on Saturday night. Source: Instagram
Wighton was charged with fighting in public and failure to comply with an exclusion direction, while Mitchell was charged with fighting in public, affray and resisting arrest.
They spent the night in police cells before being released at 11am on Sunday.
Stars' apology for 'harmless' wrestle
Both Wighton and Mitchell boarded their flight to New Zealand at Sydney Airport on Monday, preparing for the match against Māori All-Stars on Saturday.
In a statement, the pair expressed their remorse. However, they were unable to comment on the charges due to legal reasons.
"We wanted to express our remorse for putting ourselves in the position to embarrass our clubs and the NRL over the weekend," they said.
"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 the All-Stars this weekend."
'An absolute joke'
Graphic footage of Mitchell's arrest is circulating online.
The footage sees the fullback pinned to the ground by four police officers.
Mitchell's hands were restrained behind his back, and he can be heard yelling "my shoulder" in pain.
The witness stated the sports stars were "just mucking around and having a little bit of a laugh" before police intervened.
"[They] ripped him across the road and then just all jumped on him and tackled him for no reason at all," the witness said.
"It was just really brutal and unnecessary for how many of them there were."
Screenshot of footage of Latrell Mitchell being arrested on Sunday morning in Canberra. Credit: 7News
"If you think that they were fighting in any way shape or form, that's just pathetic, that's an absolute joke," he told 7News.
"They've been hung out to dry and they're good blokes."
No Limit Boxing Founder Matt Rose, who manages both players, also confirmed the friendship.
"They both think they are stronger than each other and are mucking around all the time," he said.
"It was a bit of fun that went wrong after a few drinks."
