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

Warning: This piece contains details of discriminatory comments and behaviour

Ex-England centre Luther Burrell claims that speaking out to expose racial discrimination in rugby union brought his career to an premature end.

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

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

"I've have definitely had to retire because of what occurred," he told media outlets.

"I really wanted to carry on playing, naturally I did. I pursued that, and it collapsed when word came out that there were investigations underway.

"That was difficult - I had to just come to terms with the fate and understand that this whole process is a lot more important than me."

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

Burrell told media he also encountered discrimination within the England team environment, during a Test career that saw him win 15 caps after his first game in 2014.

"I've had several distressing experiences within the national team," he stated.

"Certain instances of discrimination and some just old-school mentality that's really inappropriate."

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

"It's something that has been disguised as banter and that's been the issue that I've personally experienced and seen," said Burrell, who is of Jamaican heritage.

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

Burrell explains he was finally spurred to go public after a fellow player at Newcastle called him as a "slave" and instructed him to put sunscreen on his wrists and ankles "where chains would be placed."

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

"We has placed considerable attention on inclusion and inclusion in the sport and a substantial amount of work completed both before and after Luther Burrell came forward and shared his encounters of racism and classism," it added.

"We are ongoing work with clubs and stakeholders in the elite level to strive for a environment of acceptance but acknowledge this requires patience and is an continuous effort."

Every Prem and women's rugby club now has face-to-face training on building welcoming environments, with its effectiveness tracked via individual reports and feedback.

All England players, including youth squads, are trained in being "active bystanders" to step in and protect others from damaging conduct.

"You 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 impact on you and ended your career, but in our view, you have done so well. We are so proud of you and to have you as a son."

Burrell's dad Geoff passed away soon after the production of the film, and his sibling passed away earlier this year.

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

His 12 Foundation works to connect with young people in under-served communities and support them thrive both on the pitch with complimentary sports coaching, mentoring and dietary education.

"My intentions are genuine, I want to see the progress of the sport and if others is prepared to share their story then I'll continue to advocate for that fight because I'm not just pursuing this for myself," he explained.

"We have an obligation to make the sport as great as it can be and the more I talk about it perhaps the more comfortable fellow players will feel about discussing their personal experiences as well.

"I need to take the bull by the horns and continue bearing this banner and keep supporting this weight and accomplish what I can to create opportunities and make the game more appealing and more inclusive.

"There are a lot of underprivileged young people and a lot of economic hardship and I sincerely think that rugby has the potential to change their futures, just as it did for me."