Sounding the whistle on racial discrimination terminated my professional journey - Burrell

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

FormerEngland player Luther Burrell states that going public to reveal racism in rugby union brought his career to an premature end.

In a 2022 interview, Burrell described racism as being "rife" in the sport, displaying Whatsapp messages and recalling training ground "comments" he had been exposed 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 absolutely had to retire because of what happened," he explained to media outlets.

"I really hoped to carry on competing, naturally I did. I sought that, and it collapsed when word emerged that there were inquiries going on.

"That was difficult - I had to simply come to terms with the outcome and accept that this entire process is a lot more important than me."

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

Burrell told media he also faced prejudice within the England set-up, during a Test career that saw him win 15 caps after his debut in 2014.

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

"Some discrimination and some just old-school mentality that's really inappropriate."

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

"This is something that has been disguised as humour and that's been the problem that I've myself suffered and witnessed," said Burrell, who is of Jamaican heritage.

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

Burrell explains he was eventually spurred to speak out after a fellow player at Newcastle called him as a "enslaved person" and told him to put sun cream on his wrists and ankles "where chains would be placed."

The rugby authority said Burrell's revelations had led to "a deeper look at the culture within the elite game and to the implementation of an strategy for the professional game."

"The organization has given considerable attention on inclusion and inclusion in rugby union and a substantial amount of work undertaken both before and since Luther Burrell spoke publicly and revealed his experiences of racism and class discrimination," it added.

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

Every Premiership and PWR club now has face-to-face training on building inclusive cultures, with its effectiveness tracked via specific documentation and surveys.

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

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

"We know it has had this effect on you and finished your playing days, but in our eyes, you have achieved so much. We are so impressed of you and to have you as a son."

Burrell's father Geoff passed away soon after the filming of the film, and his sister passed away earlier this year.

Burrell, who was raised on a social housing in his hometown, continues his work to make the sport more open.

His charitable organization works to connect with children in under-served communities and help them thrive both on the field with complimentary sports training, guidance and nutrition education.

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

"We have an responsibility to make the sport as excellent as it can be and the more I speak about it hopefully the more confident others will feel about sharing their own experiences as well.

"I need to take the challenge by the horns and keep carrying this banner and keep carrying this weight and do what I can to create possibilities and make the game more appealing and more inclusive.

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