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

Warning: This article contains descriptions of racially offensive comments and conduct

Ex-England centre Luther Burrell claims that speaking out to reveal racism in professional rugby brought his career to an premature end.

In a June 2022, Burrell described racism as being "rife" in the game, displaying Whatsapp messages and remembering training ground "comments" he had been subject 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 explained to reporters.

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

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

A sports organization report in April 2023 found Burrell's claims were true "on the balance of probability", but said it could not gather sufficient evidence to categorically say they occurred at Newcastle.

Burrell revealed to media he also encountered discrimination within the England team environment, during a Test career that saw him win 15 appearances after his debut in 2014.

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

"Some discrimination and some just outdated thinking that's really unacceptable."

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

"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 extended period 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 spurred to go public after a fellow player at Newcastle called him as a "slave" and told him to put sunscreen 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 strategy for the elite level."

"We has placed significant attention on diversity and inclusion in the sport and a substantial amount of work undertaken both before and after Luther Burrell came forward and shared his encounters of racism and class discrimination," it continued.

"We are ongoing work with clubs and partners in the elite level to strive for a culture of acceptance but acknowledge this takes time and is an continuous effort."

All Prem and women's rugby club now has face-to-face training on creating inclusive cultures, with its effectiveness tracked via individual reports and surveys.

All England athletes, including youth squads, are trained in being "active bystanders" to step in and defend others from harmful behaviour.

"You should be so pleased of what you have done," Burrell's mother Joyce said to him as part of the documentary about his experiences.

"I know it has had this impact on you and finished your career, but in our view, you have achieved 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 filming of the documentary, and his sister died earlier this year.

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

His 12 Foundation aims to reach children in under-served communities and support them thrive on and off the field with free sports coaching, mentoring and nutrition education.

"My intentions are pure, I want to see the evolution of the game and if nobody else is willing to tell their story then I'll continue to fight that cause because I'm not just doing this for my own benefit," he said.

"We have an responsibility to make the sport as great as it can be and the more I talk about it hopefully the more comfortable others will feel about discussing their own experiences as well.

"I need to take the bull by the horns and keep bearing this banner and continue carrying this weight and accomplish what I can to develop possibilities and make the game more appealing and more welcoming.

"There's a lot of underprivileged children and a lot of economic hardship and I sincerely believe that the sport has the ability to change their futures, just as it transformed things for me."