Sounding the whistle on racism terminated my professional journey - Burrell

Warning: This piece includes details of discriminatory comments and behaviour

Ex-England centre Luther Burrell says that going public to reveal racial discrimination in rugby union brought his career to an early conclusion.

In a 2022 interview, Burrell characterized racism as being "rife" in the game, showing digital communications and remembering training ground "jokes" he had been exposed to while playing for Newcastle.

At that time 34 and out of contract, Burrell's only professional rugby since has been a handful of games with invitational side the Barbarians.

"I have absolutely had to end my career because of what went on," he explained to media outlets.

"I really hoped to carry on competing, of course I did. I sought that, and it fell through when word came out that there were inquiries going on.

"That was challenging - I had to just accept the fate and accept that this whole situation is a lot bigger than me."

A sports organization report in April 2023 found Burrell's allegations were accurate "likely correct", but said it could not gather sufficient evidence to categorically say they happened at Newcastle.

Burrell revealed to media he also faced discrimination within the England set-up, during a international career that saw him win 15 appearances after his debut in February 2014.

"I have had several traumatic experiences within England camp," he said.

"Some discrimination and some just outdated thinking that's really inappropriate."

Racism had become accepted in team environments, in Burrell's experience.

"This is something that has been dressed up as banter and that's been the issue that I've personally suffered and seen," said Burrell, who is of Jamaican heritage.

"Over a period of time you just begin to think that it's the standard and that is acceptable and that it's not harmful, but that's incorrect."

Burrell explains he was finally motivated to go public after a team-mate at Newcastle referred to him as a "slave" and instructed him to put sun cream on his arms and legs "where your shackles were."

The governing body said Burrell's disclosures had led to "a deeper look at the environment within the elite game and to the implementation of an action plan for the elite level."

"We has given significant focus on diversity and inclusion in rugby union and a substantial amount of work completed both prior and since Luther Burrell came forward and shared his encounters of racism and class discrimination," it added.

"We are continuing work with teams and stakeholders in the professional game to work for a culture of acceptance but recognize this requires patience and is an ongoing process."

Every Prem and PWR club now has face-to-face education on creating inclusive cultures, with its success tracked via specific documentation and surveys.

All England players, including youth squads, are educated in being "engaged observers" to step in and defend others from damaging behaviour.

"You should be so proud of what you have accomplished," Burrell's mother Joyce said to him as part of the film Luther Burrell - Rugby, Racism and Redemption.

"We know it has had this impact on you and finished your playing days, but in our view, you have done so well. We are so proud of you and to have you as a family member."

Burrell's father Geoff passed away shortly after the production of the documentary, and his sister passed away recently.

Burrell, who was raised on a social housing in Huddersfield, maintains his work to make the game more accessible.

His 12 Foundation aims to connect with children in under-served communities and support them thrive both on the pitch with complimentary sports training, mentoring and dietary education.

"My personal motivations are pure, I want to see the progress of the game and if nobody else is prepared to share their story then I'll persist to advocate for that fight because I'm not just doing this for myself," he explained.

"Everyone involved have an responsibility to make the sport as excellent as it can be and the more I talk about it hopefully the more comfortable others will become about sharing their own stories as well.

"I need to grab the bull by the opportunity and keep bearing this banner and continue carrying this weight and do what I can to create opportunities and make the sport more appealing and more inclusive.

"There's a lot of underprivileged young people and a lot of economic hardship and I honestly think that the sport has the potential to transform their futures, just as it transformed things for me."