Blowing the whistle on racism cut short my career - Luther Burrell

Warning: This piece contains descriptions of discriminatory language and conduct

Ex-England player Luther Burrell states that speaking out to expose racial discrimination in rugby union brought his career to an premature conclusion.

In a 2022 interview, Burrell described racism as being "rife" in the game, displaying digital communications and recalling training ground "jokes" he had been subject to while representing 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 have definitely had to retire because of what occurred," he explained to reporters.

"I really wanted to continue competing, naturally I did. I pursued that, and it collapsed when news emerged that there were investigations underway.

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

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

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

"I have had multiple distressing experiences within England camp," he said.

"Certain instances of discrimination and other just outdated thinking that's really unacceptable."

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

"It's something that has been dressed up as banter and that's been the issue that I've personally suffered 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 acceptable and that it's not malicious, but that's incorrect."

Burrell explains he was finally spurred to go public after a fellow player at Newcastle called him as a "enslaved person" and told him to put sunscreen on his arms and legs "where chains would be placed."

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

"The organization has given considerable attention on inclusion and inclusion in rugby union and a substantial amount of work undertaken both before and after Luther Burrell spoke publicly and revealed his experiences of racism and class discrimination," it added.

"The organization are ongoing work with teams and stakeholders in the professional game to work for a culture of inclusivity but acknowledge this requires patience and is an ongoing process."

All Prem and PWR club now has face-to-face education on building inclusive environments, with its success monitored via individual reports and surveys.

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

"You should be so proud 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 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 family member."

Burrell's dad Geoff died soon after the filming of the documentary, and his sibling died recently.

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

His charitable organization aims to reach young people in disadvantaged communities and support them thrive both on the pitch with free sports training, mentoring and nutrition education.

"My personal motivations are genuine, I want to see the progress of the game and if nobody else is prepared to tell their story then I'll persist to fight that cause because I'm not just doing this for my own benefit," he said.

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

"I need to grab the bull by the opportunity and keep bearing this banner and keep carrying this weight and do what I can to develop possibilities and make the game 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 potential to change their futures, just as it did for me."