Blowing the whistle on racial discrimination ended my career - Luther Burrell

Important note: This piece includes details of discriminatory comments and conduct

Ex-England centre Luther Burrell states that speaking out to reveal racial discrimination in professional rugby brought his career to an early conclusion.

In a 2022 interview, Burrell described racism as being "rife" in the game, displaying digital communications and remembering training ground "comments" he had been exposed to while representing Newcastle.

At that time 34 and out of contract, Burrell's only professional rugby since has been a handful of games with guest team the Barbarians.

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

"I wanted to carry on playing, of course I did. I pursued that, and it collapsed when news emerged that there were investigations going on.

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

A rugby governing body report in April 2023 found Burrell's claims were true "on the balance of probability", but stated it could not collect sufficient proof to definitively say they occurred at Newcastle.

Burrell told media he also faced discrimination within the England team environment, during a international career that saw him win 15 appearances after his debut in February 2014.

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

"Some discrimination and other just outdated thinking that's really unacceptable."

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

"This is something that has been dressed up as humour and that's been the issue that I've personally experienced and seen," said Burrell, who is of Jamaican descent.

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

Burrell explains he was finally motivated 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 chains would be placed."

The rugby authority said Burrell's disclosures had led to "increased scrutiny at the culture within the professional level and to the implementation of an action plan for the elite level."

"We has placed significant attention on diversity and diversity in rugby union and a great deal of work completed both before and after Luther Burrell spoke publicly and revealed his experiences of racism and class discrimination," it added.

"The organization are continuing work with teams and stakeholders in the professional game to work for a culture of acceptance but recognize this requires patience and is an continuous effort."

All Prem and PWR club now has face-to-face training on building inclusive environments, with its effectiveness tracked via specific documentation and feedback.

All England athletes, including age-grade squads, are trained in being "engaged observers" to step in and defend others from damaging conduct.

"You should be so pleased of what you have done," Burrell's mother Joyce said to him as part of the film Luther Burrell - Rugby, Racism and Redemption.

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

Burrell's father Geoff passed away soon after the production of the film, and his sister died recently.

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

His 12 Foundation aims to connect with young people in disadvantaged communities and help them thrive both on the field with complimentary sports coaching, guidance and nutrition education.

"My intentions are genuine, I want to see the evolution of the game and if nobody else is prepared to share their story then I'll persist to fight that fight because I'm not just pursuing this for myself," he said.

"We have an obligation to make the game as excellent as it can be and the longer I speak about it hopefully the more confident others will become about discussing their own experiences as well.

"I need to grab the challenge by the horns and continue carrying this flag and continue carrying this responsibility and accomplish what I can to develop possibilities and make the game more appealing and more welcoming.

"There's a lot of underprivileged young people and a lot of poverty and I honestly think that rugby has the potential to change their futures, just as it transformed things for me."