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

Important note: This piece includes details of racially offensive comments and behaviour

Ex-England centre Luther Burrell claims that going public to expose racism in professional rugby led his professional journey to an premature conclusion.

In a June 2022, Burrell described racism as being "rife" in the sport, showing Whatsapp messages and remembering training ground "jokes" he had been exposed 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 guest team the Barbarians.

"I have definitely had to retire because of what went on," he told media outlets.

"I really hoped to carry on playing, naturally I did. I pursued that, and it collapsed when word emerged that there were investigations going on.

"This situation was challenging - I had to just come to terms with the outcome and accept that this entire situation is a lot bigger than me."

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

Burrell told media he also faced discrimination within the England set-up, during a Test career that saw him earn 15 appearances after his first game in February 2014.

"I've had several traumatic experiences within England camp," he said.

"Certain instances of discrimination and some just outdated thinking that's really inappropriate."

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

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

"During a extended period you just begin to think that it's the standard and that is acceptable and that it's not malicious, but that's nonsense."

Burrell explains he was finally spurred to go public after a fellow player at Newcastle referred to him as a "enslaved person" and told him to put sun cream on his arms and legs "where your shackles were."

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

"The organization has placed significant attention on diversity and inclusion in rugby union and a substantial amount of work undertaken both prior and after Luther Burrell spoke publicly and shared his encounters of racism and class discrimination," it added.

"We are continuing work with clubs and stakeholders in the professional game to strive for a culture of acceptance but acknowledge this requires patience and is an continuous effort."

Every Premiership and PWR club now has in-person education on building welcoming environments, with its effectiveness tracked via specific documentation and surveys.

All England players, including age-grade squads, are trained in being "engaged observers" to intervene and protect others from harmful conduct.

"You 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 impact on you and ended your career, but in our eyes, you have achieved so much. We are so impressed of you and to have you as a family member."

Burrell's father Geoff died shortly after the production of the documentary, and his sister died recently.

Burrell, who was raised on a council estate in Huddersfield, continues his work to make the sport more accessible.

His charitable organization works to reach young people in under-served communities and help them succeed on and off the field with complimentary sports training, guidance and dietary education.

"My personal intentions are genuine, I want to see the progress of the sport and if others is willing to share their story then I'll continue to advocate for that cause because I'm not just pursuing this for my own benefit," he explained.

"We have an obligation to make the sport as excellent as it can be and the longer I talk about it hopefully the more confident fellow players will become about discussing their own stories as well.

"I take the challenge by the opportunity and continue bearing this banner and keep carrying this weight and accomplish what I can to create possibilities and make the game more attractive and more welcoming.

"There's a lot of disadvantaged children and a lot of economic hardship and I sincerely think that rugby has the potential to change their lives, just as it transformed things for me."