Blowing the whistle on racial discrimination ended my professional journey - Burrell

Warning: This piece includes details of racially offensive language and conduct

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

In a 2022 interview, Burrell described racism as being "rife" in the game, showing digital communications and recalling training ground "jokes" he had been subject to while representing Newcastle.

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

"I have absolutely had to retire because of what went on," he told reporters.

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

"That was challenging - I had to simply accept the outcome and understand that this entire process is a lot bigger than me."

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

Burrell told journalists he also faced discrimination within the England set-up, during a international career that saw him win 15 caps after his first game in February 2014.

"I've had multiple traumatic experiences within the national team," he stated.

"Some discrimination and some just outdated thinking that's really inappropriate."

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

"This is something that has been disguised as humour and that's been the issue that I've myself suffered and seen," said Burrell, who is of Jamaican descent.

"During a period of time you just begin to believe that it's the norm and that is acceptable and that it's not harmful, but that's incorrect."

Burrell explains he was finally spurred to go public after a fellow player at Newcastle referred to him as a "slave" and instructed him to put sun cream on his wrists and ankles "where your shackles were."

The rugby authority said Burrell's disclosures 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 placed considerable attention on inclusion and diversity in rugby union and a substantial amount of work completed both prior and after Luther Burrell spoke publicly and shared his encounters of racism and classism," it added.

"We are continuing work with teams and partners in the elite level to strive for a culture of acceptance but recognize this takes time and is an ongoing process."

Every Premiership and women's rugby club now has in-person training on building inclusive environments, with its success monitored via specific documentation and surveys.

All England athletes, including age-grade squads, are educated in being "engaged observers" to intervene and protect others from harmful behaviour.

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

"I know it has had this effect on you and ended your career, but in our eyes, you have done so much. We are so proud of you and to have you as a family member."

Burrell's father Geoff died shortly after the filming of the documentary, and his sibling passed away earlier this year.

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

His charitable organization aims to reach children in under-served communities and help them thrive both on the pitch with free sports coaching, mentoring and nutrition education.

"My motivations are pure, I want to see the evolution of the sport and if nobody else is prepared to tell their story then I'll persist to advocate for that cause because I'm not just doing this for myself," he said.

"We have an responsibility to make the game as great as it can be and the more I speak about it perhaps the more comfortable fellow players will become about discussing their own stories as well.

"I need to take the challenge by the horns and continue bearing this banner and continue supporting this responsibility and accomplish what I can to develop opportunities and make the sport more attractive and more inclusive.

"There are a lot of disadvantaged young people and a lot of poverty and I sincerely believe that the sport has the ability to change their futures, just as it did for me."