Mitchell Pearce has called for the NRL to come down hard on the person who filmed Latrell Mitchell with a white powder, adamant they should also be at the centre of the investigation.
Both South Sydney and the NRL are looking into an image of Mitchell from last weekend, which appeared to depict the Rabbitohs superstar leaning over a table on which white powder has been placed.
The Rabbitohs have since confirmed the image is from Mitchell's trip on the weekend to Dubbo, where he undertook community work and appeared at a coaching clinic.
The picture began to circulate on social media on Monday and was reported to the NRL's integrity unit by Souths.
On Tuesday, Pearce turned the blowtorch on the person who took the photo and subsequently leaked it, admitting he felt for his former Sydney Roosters teammate.
"I hope someone comes down hard on the person who’s filming these things," Pearce said on the Half-Time podcast.
"It would be good to know what the laws are around this because it’s bullshit.
"You’d hope it’s not his mate, but whoever was in there and doing that stuff needs big repercussions.
"The game needs to find out who these people are and go hard on them.
"They should name and shame them because these people get away with murder and there’s no repercussions."
Pearce had his own off-field scandals, including being banned for eight games and fined $75,000, when images of him simulating a lewd act with a dog surfaced in 2016.
Todd Carney also felt for Mitchell after his career ended two years earlier when an image of him performing a lewd act in a nightclub was also shared on social media.
"It’s sad to see the privacy broken again for a sports player," Carney said on the same podcast.
"It’s a horrible feeling being on the back page at the best of times for anything, but it’s just sad to see because while we don’t know if he’s done the wrong thing or not.
"People listening will be saying ‘they shouldn’t have done the wrong thing’.
"But if he’s in an environment with his mates or whatever, by the looks of it, someone has taken from a distance.
"My worry is now for Latrell and how he handles it, what he does in the next 24 hours and if he comes out and owns it or shies away from it.
"That’s the concern for a player because we’re all human and we make mistakes."
Mitchell is currently sidelined by a foot injury with no guarantee he will return this season given the Rabbitohs are out of finals contention.
