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

Warning: This piece includes details of racially offensive comments and behaviour

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

In a 2022 interview, Burrell characterized racism as being "rife" in the game, displaying Whatsapp messages 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've have definitely had to retire because of what occurred," he explained to reporters.

"I hoped to carry on playing, of course I did. I sought that, and it fell through when word came out that there were investigations going on.

"This situation was challenging - I had to simply accept the outcome and accept that this whole situation is a lot more important than me."

A rugby governing body report in 2023 found Burrell's allegations were true "likely correct", but said it could not gather enough 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 caps after his first game in February 2014.

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

"Certain instances of discrimination and some just old-school mentality that's really inappropriate."

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

"It's something that has been disguised as humour and that's been the issue that I've personally experienced and witnessed," said Burrell, who is of Jamaican descent.

"Over a period of time you just begin to believe that it's the norm and that is fine and that it's not harmful, but that's nonsense."

Burrell says he was eventually motivated to speak out after a team-mate at Newcastle referred to him as a "enslaved person" and instructed him to put sun cream on his wrists and ankles "where chains would be placed."

The governing body said Burrell's revelations had led to "a deeper look at the culture within the professional level and to the implementation of an action plan for the professional game."

"We has given significant attention on diversity and inclusion in rugby union and a substantial amount of work undertaken both prior and since Luther Burrell spoke publicly and shared his encounters of racism and classism," it added.

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

Every Prem and PWR club now has face-to-face education on building inclusive environments, with its effectiveness tracked via specific documentation and surveys.

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

"You be so proud of what you have done," Burrell's mother Joyce told him as part of the film about his experiences.

"I know it has had this impact on you and ended your career, but in our eyes, 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 production of the film, and his sibling passed away earlier this year.

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

His 12 Foundation aims to connect with young people in disadvantaged communities and help them succeed on and off the pitch with free sports coaching, mentoring and dietary education.

"My personal motivations are genuine, I want to see the progress of the game and if others is willing to share their experience then I'll continue to fight that fight because I'm not just pursuing this for my own benefit," he said.

"We have an responsibility to make the sport as great as it can be and the longer I talk about it perhaps the more confident others will feel about discussing their own stories as well.

"I need to take the challenge by the horns and keep carrying this banner and keep supporting this responsibility and accomplish what I can to develop opportunities and make the sport more appealing and more welcoming.

"There are a lot of underprivileged young people and a lot of economic hardship and I sincerely believe that rugby has the potential to change their futures, just as it transformed things for me."