Men charged after allegedly racially abusing NRL star Latrell Mitchell

Two men who allegedly racially abused South Sydney Rabbitohs fullback Latrell Mitchell on social media after last weekend's match against Wests Tigers have been charged.

The engagement and hate crime unit and the fixated persons investigation unit started inquiries after the NRL integrity unit reported that a player had received offensive and threatening social media messages, some of which were racially motivated.

Detectives today arrested a 22-year-old man at a home in Taree and a 25-year-old man at Lake Munmorah.

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Police seized electronic devices, which will undergo forensic examination.

The men were taken to local police stations and both charged with use of a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offense.

Both men were granted strict conditional bail.

The older man is due to appear at Wyong Local Court on May 12, while the younger man is due to attend Taree Local Court on May 18.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said today: "The NRL was informed of this abuse over the weekend and our Integrity Unit immediately investigated and referred our file, with the support of Latrell, to NSW Police to commence a criminal investigation.

"There is no place for fans like this in our game.

"Any fan who racially abuses or threatens our players will be referred to police.

"I want to commend Latrell for the leadership role he is taking. We wholeheartedly support Latrell in reporting this matter.

"He is a leader in the fight against racism in our community."