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

Warning: This article contains descriptions of discriminatory comments and behaviour

Ex-England player Luther Burrell says that speaking out 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 sport, displaying Whatsapp messages and remembering training ground "comments" he had been exposed to while playing for Newcastle.

At that time 34 and out of contract, Burrell's only elite playing since has been three appearances with guest team the Barbarians.

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

"I hoped to carry on playing, of course I did. I sought that, and it collapsed when news came out that there were investigations going on.

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

A sports organization investigation in April 2023 found Burrell's allegations were accurate "likely correct", but stated it could not collect sufficient proof to definitively say they occurred at Newcastle.

Burrell revealed to journalists he also encountered prejudice within the England set-up, during a international career that saw him earn 15 caps after his first game in 2014.

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

"Some discrimination and other just outdated thinking that's really inappropriate."

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

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

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

Burrell says he was eventually motivated to speak out after a fellow player at Newcastle called him as a "enslaved person" and instructed him to put sun cream on his arms and legs "where chains would be placed."

The governing body said Burrell's revelations had led to "a deeper look at the environment within the professional level and to the introduction of an strategy for the professional game."

"The organization has placed significant attention on inclusion and diversity in the sport and a substantial amount of work completed both prior and after Luther Burrell came forward and shared his experiences of racism and classism," it continued.

"The organization are ongoing work with teams and stakeholders in the elite level to work for a culture of acceptance but acknowledge 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 effectiveness tracked via individual reports and surveys.

All England players, including youth squads, are educated in being "engaged observers" to intervene and protect others from harmful conduct.

"You be so proud of what you have done," Burrell's mother Joyce told him as part of the documentary Luther Burrell - Rugby, Racism and Redemption.

"We 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 passed away shortly after the production of the documentary, and his sister passed away earlier this year.

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

His 12 Foundation works to connect with children in under-served communities and help them succeed on and off the field with free sports coaching, guidance and dietary education.

"My intentions are genuine, I want to see the progress of the sport and if nobody else is willing to share their experience then I'll persist to advocate for that cause because I'm not just pursuing this for my own benefit," he explained.

"Everyone involved have an obligation to make the game as great as it can be and the more I speak about it perhaps the more confident fellow players will become about sharing their own stories as well.

"I need to grab the bull by the opportunity and keep carrying this flag and continue carrying this weight and accomplish what I can to develop possibilities and make the sport more appealing and more welcoming.

"There are a lot of disadvantaged young people and a lot of economic hardship and I sincerely think that rugby has the potential to transform their lives, just as it transformed things for me."