Sounding the whistle on racial discrimination terminated my career - Luther Burrell

Warning: This piece contains details of discriminatory language and behaviour

Ex-England player Luther Burrell claims that going public to expose racial discrimination in professional rugby brought his career to an early end.

In a 2022 interview, Burrell characterized racism as being "rife" in the sport, showing Whatsapp messages 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've have absolutely had to end my career because of what occurred," he explained to reporters.

"I wanted to carry on competing, of course I did. I sought that, and it fell through when news came out that there were investigations going on.

"This situation was difficult - I had to simply come to terms with the outcome and understand that this whole situation is a lot more important than me."

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

Burrell told media he also faced prejudice within the England set-up, during a Test career that saw him win 15 caps after his debut in February 2014.

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

"Some discrimination and some just outdated thinking that's really unacceptable."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 humour and that's been the issue that I've personally experienced and seen," said Burrell, who is of Jamaican heritage.

"During a extended period you just learn to believe that it's the norm and that is fine and that it's not harmful, but that's incorrect."

Burrell says he was eventually spurred to speak out after a team-mate at Newcastle referred to him as a "slave" and instructed him to put sun cream on his arms and legs "where your shackles were."

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

"We has given considerable focus on inclusion and diversity in rugby union and a great deal of work undertaken both prior and after Luther Burrell came forward and shared his encounters of racism and class discrimination," it added.

"The organization are ongoing work with teams and partners in the elite level to work for a culture of inclusivity but recognize this requires patience and is an continuous effort."

Every Premiership and PWR club now has in-person education on creating welcoming cultures, with its success tracked via individual reports and feedback.

All England athletes, including age-grade squads, are trained in being "active bystanders" to step in and defend others from harmful conduct.

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

"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 impressed of you and to have you as a family member."

Burrell's father Geoff passed away soon after the filming of the documentary, and his sister passed away recently.

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

His 12 Foundation works to connect with young people in under-served communities and help them succeed on and off the pitch with free sports training, mentoring and dietary education.

"My motivations are genuine, I want to see the evolution of the sport and if others is willing to tell their story then I'll continue to advocate for that fight because I'm not just pursuing this for myself," he said.

"Everyone involved have an responsibility to make the sport as great as it can be and the longer I talk about it perhaps the more comfortable fellow players will become about discussing their personal experiences as well.

"I need to grab the bull by the horns and continue bearing this flag and keep carrying this weight and do what I can to develop opportunities and make the sport more attractive and more inclusive.

"There's a lot of disadvantaged children and a lot of economic hardship and I honestly think that the sport has the ability to transform their futures, just as it transformed things for me."