Sounding the alarm on racial discrimination terminated my career - Burrell

Warning: This piece includes details of racially offensive comments and behaviour

FormerEngland player Luther Burrell claims that going public to expose racism in rugby union led his professional journey to an early end.

In a 2022 interview, Burrell described racism as being "widespread" in the sport, displaying Whatsapp messages and remembering training ground "comments" he had been exposed to while representing Newcastle.

At that time 34 and without a team, Burrell's only professional rugby since has been three appearances with invitational side the Barbarians.

"I have definitely had to end my career because of what occurred," he told reporters.

"I wanted to carry on competing, naturally I did. I sought that, and it collapsed when news emerged that there were investigations going on.

"This situation was challenging - I had to just accept the outcome and understand that this whole process is a lot bigger than me."

A rugby governing body report in 2023 found Burrell's allegations were accurate "likely correct", but said it could not gather sufficient evidence to definitively say they happened at Newcastle.

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

"I have had several distressing experiences within the national team," he said.

"Some discrimination and some just outdated thinking that's really inappropriate."

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

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

"During a period of time you just begin to think that it's the standard and that is fine and that it's not malicious, but that's incorrect."

Burrell says he was eventually spurred to speak out after a team-mate at Newcastle called him as a "enslaved person" and told him to put sun cream on his wrists and ankles "where chains would be placed."

The rugby authority said Burrell's disclosures had led to "a deeper look at the environment within the professional level and to the introduction of an strategy for the elite level."

"We has given considerable attention on inclusion and diversity in the sport and a substantial amount of work completed both prior and since Luther Burrell came forward and revealed his encounters of racism and class discrimination," it continued.

"The organization are ongoing work with teams and stakeholders in the elite level to work for a culture of acceptance but recognize this requires patience and is an ongoing process."

Every Premiership and PWR club now has face-to-face education on building inclusive environments, with its success monitored via specific documentation and feedback.

All England players, including age-grade squads, are educated in being "active bystanders" to step in and protect others from harmful behaviour.

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

"We know it has had this effect on you and finished your career, but in our view, you have done so much. We are so impressed of you and to have you as a son."

Burrell's dad Geoff passed away shortly after the production of the film, and his sister died earlier this year.

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

His 12 Foundation aims to connect with children in under-served communities and support them succeed on and off the pitch with complimentary sports coaching, mentoring and nutrition education.

"My motivations are genuine, I want to see the evolution of the game and if nobody else is willing to tell their experience then I'll persist to fight that fight because I'm not just doing this for myself," he explained.

"We have an obligation to make the game as great as it can be and the more I talk about it hopefully the more comfortable fellow players will feel about discussing their own stories as well.

"I need to grab the bull by the opportunity and continue bearing this banner and keep supporting this responsibility and do what I can to create opportunities and make the game more appealing and more welcoming.

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