sport news How a comment from Jack Wighton 'convinced police to arrest him' along with ... trends now Revealed: How a comment from Jack Wighton 'convinced police to arrest him' along with his brawl brother Latrell Mitchell after 'fight' outside nightclub at 3.45am By Josh Alston For Daily Mail Australia Published: 23:08 GMT, 6 February 2023 | Updated: 23:08 GMT, 6 February 2023 Viewcomments A snap decision to put his mate first landed Canberra Raiders star Jack Wighton in jail after it was revealed he could have avoided jail for his role in an alleged 'fight' with Latrell Mitchell. The cousins had been together celebrating Wighton's 30th birthday in Canberra when it all went pear-shaped at around 3.45am on Sunday. Witnesses said the NRL stars were seen wrestling in the street before police descended on the Souths fullback and pinned him to the ground. Mitchell was visibly in pain and yelled 'my shoulders' in anguish. However Wighton was not targeted by police. Mitchell and Wighton wrestle during a New South Wales Blues State of Origin training session at Kippax Lake in Sydney, Footage showed Mitchell being pinned to the ground by police officers and shouting out in pain He had the option of returning home where both of their respective partners were waiting for them, but instead chose to stick by his mate. So with 12 simple words, Wighton ensured that he would be arrested as well. 'If you're going to take him you might as well take me.' he said. It is a character trait that his coach Ricky Stuart admires. The Raiders coach said he believed their version of events that they were just play wrestling and praised Wighton for looking after Mitchell when things went wrong. 'I believe him in what he described to me as just two cousins mucking around,' Stuart said. 'Jack didn't want to leave Latrell in the situation he was in when he was asked to go, and that's what I love about Jack - he puts his mates first.' Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has accepted Wighton's version of events and praised his star player for looking after his mate Mitchell Former Canberra Raiders hardman Gary Belcher has also defended Wighton and said he would have fit in nicely with the squad from the golden era of the Green Machine Raiders great Gary Belcher has also rushed to the defence of Wighton. 'I know times have changed, but I can't believe the hysteria over this,' he said. 'I love that Jack is a bit of a rogue and I like that he wears his heart on his sleeve. 'Jack would have fitted in beautifully with the old Raiders premiership sides. He is a brilliant young player who gives his all on the field and he would have had a great time off the field. 'In our day, he would have been wrestling with Ricky Stuart or Mal Meninga and the cops would have come up and said, 'C'mon boys, we know who you are, settle it down'. 'It's a different world now … It says a lot now about modern technology and it p***es me off the way some NRL players get treated. 'If another person was involved, that's different, but if Jack and Latrell are having a wrestle between themselves, who cares, just pull your heads in and use some discretion.' Mitchell posted this image of the pair celebrating Wighton's birthday earlier in the evening before the alleged 'fight' occured Both Mitchell and Wighton are now in New Zealand preparing for the NRL All Stars match to be held this weekend Mitchell and Wighton issued a public apology through their management No Limits Boxing and are currently in New Zealand preparing for the NRL All Stars match this weekend. 'For legal reasons we cannot comment on the charges that are before the Court at the moment,' the pair said. '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.' Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility