Blowing the alarm on racism ended my career - Burrell

Warning: This article contains details of racially offensive language and behaviour

Ex-England centre Luther Burrell claims that going public to expose racial discrimination in rugby union led his professional journey to an early conclusion.

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

At that time 34 and without a team, Burrell's only elite playing since has been a handful of games with invitational side the Barbarians.

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

"I wanted to continue playing, naturally I did. I pursued that, and it fell through when word emerged that there were inquiries underway.

"That was difficult - I had to simply accept the fate and understand that this entire situation is a lot more important than me."

A rugby governing body investigation in 2023 found Burrell's allegations were accurate "on the balance of probability", but said it could not gather sufficient evidence to definitively say they happened at Newcastle.

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

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

"Certain instances of discrimination and other just outdated thinking that's really unacceptable."

Racism had become accepted in team environments, in Burrell's experience.

"It's something that has been dressed up as humour and that's been the problem that I've personally experienced and witnessed," said Burrell, who is of Jamaican heritage.

"Over a period of time you just learn to believe that it's the norm and that is acceptable and that it's not malicious, but that's nonsense."

Burrell says he was finally 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 governing body said Burrell's revelations had led to "increased scrutiny at the environment within the professional level and to the introduction of an action plan for the elite level."

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

"We are ongoing work with teams and partners in the professional game to strive for a culture of acceptance but acknowledge this requires patience and is an ongoing process."

All Premiership and PWR club now has face-to-face training on building inclusive cultures, with its success monitored via specific documentation and surveys.

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

"You be so proud 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 playing days, but in our view, you have achieved so well. We are so impressed 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 was raised on a council estate in his hometown, maintains his work to make the sport more accessible.

His 12 Foundation aims to reach young people in disadvantaged communities and help them thrive on and off the field with complimentary sports training, mentoring and dietary education.

"My 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 fight because I'm not just doing this for myself," 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 confident others will feel about sharing their own experiences as well.

"I need to take the bull by the opportunity and continue bearing this flag and keep supporting this responsibility and do what I can to create opportunities and make the sport more attractive and more inclusive.

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