Blowing the alarm on racial discrimination cut short my professional journey - Luther Burrell

Warning: This article contains descriptions of racially offensive language and behaviour

FormerEngland player Luther Burrell claims that going public to reveal racial discrimination in professional rugby led his career to an premature conclusion.

In a 2022 interview, Burrell characterized racism as being "rife" in the sport, showing Whatsapp messages and recalling training ground "comments" he had been subject to while representing Newcastle.

At that time 34 and without a team, Burrell's only elite playing since has been a handful of games with guest team the Barbarians.

"I have definitely had to end my career because of what occurred," he explained to media outlets.

"I hoped to carry on playing, naturally I did. I pursued that, and it fell through when news came out that there were inquiries going on.

"This situation was challenging - I had to just accept the outcome and accept that this entire situation is a lot more important than me."

A sports organization report in 2023 found Burrell's allegations were accurate "on the balance of probability", but said it could not gather enough proof to categorically say they occurred at Newcastle.

Burrell told journalists he also faced prejudice within the England team environment, during a international career that saw him earn 15 appearances after his debut in February 2014.

"I have had several traumatic experiences within the national team," he stated.

"Certain instances of discrimination and some just outdated thinking that's really unacceptable."

Racism had become normalised in dressing rooms, in Burrell's view.

"This is something that has been disguised as banter and that's been the problem that I've personally experienced and witnessed," said Burrell, who is of Jamaican descent.

"During a extended period you just begin to think that it's the norm and that is fine and that it's not harmful, but that's nonsense."

Burrell says he was finally spurred to go public after a fellow player at Newcastle called him as a "slave" and told him to put sunscreen on his wrists and ankles "where your shackles were."

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

"The organization has given considerable focus on inclusion and inclusion in the sport and a substantial amount of work undertaken both before and after Luther Burrell spoke publicly and revealed his experiences of racism and class discrimination," it added.

"We are ongoing work with teams and partners in the professional game to strive for a culture of inclusivity but recognize this takes time and is an continuous effort."

All Premiership and PWR club now has face-to-face education on creating inclusive cultures, with its effectiveness monitored via specific documentation and surveys.

All England athletes, including youth squads, are educated in being "active bystanders" to intervene and defend others from harmful behaviour.

"You should be so pleased of what you have done," Burrell's mother Joyce said to him as part of the documentary about his experiences.

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

Burrell's dad Geoff passed away shortly after the filming of the film, and his sister died recently.

Burrell, who grew up on a social housing in Huddersfield, maintains his work to make the sport more accessible.

His 12 Foundation aims to reach children in under-served communities and support them succeed both on the field with free sports coaching, mentoring and nutrition education.

"My motivations are genuine, I want to see the evolution of the game and if others is prepared to share their experience then I'll persist to advocate for that cause 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 longer I talk about it perhaps the more comfortable fellow players will become about discussing their own stories as well.

"I need to grab the challenge by the opportunity and keep bearing this banner and keep supporting this responsibility and do what I can to develop opportunities and make the game more attractive 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 ability to transform their lives, just as it transformed things for me."