Blowing the alarm on racial discrimination cut short my career - Burrell

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

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

In a 2022 interview, Burrell characterized racism as being "rife" in the sport, displaying Whatsapp messages and remembering training ground "jokes" he had been exposed to while playing for Newcastle.

At that time 34 and out of contract, Burrell's only elite playing since has been a handful of games with guest team the Barbarians.

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

"I wanted to carry on playing, of course I did. I pursued that, and it fell through when news emerged that there were inquiries underway.

"That was challenging - I had to simply come to terms with the fate and accept that this whole situation is a lot bigger than me."

A sports organization investigation in 2023 found Burrell's allegations were true "on the balance of probability", but stated it could not gather enough proof to definitively say they happened at Newcastle.

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

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

"Certain instances of discrimination and some just outdated thinking that's really inappropriate."

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

"This is something that has been disguised as banter 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 standard and that is acceptable and that it's not malicious, but that's nonsense."

Burrell says he was eventually spurred to go public after a fellow player at Newcastle called him as a "slave" 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 "increased scrutiny at the culture within the professional level and to the introduction of an action plan for the professional game."

"We has placed significant attention on inclusion and inclusion in the sport and a great deal of work completed both prior and since Luther Burrell spoke publicly and revealed his experiences of racism and classism," it added.

"We are ongoing work with teams and partners in the professional game to work for a culture of acceptance but recognize this takes time and is an ongoing process."

All Premiership and women's rugby club now has in-person training on building inclusive environments, with its effectiveness tracked via individual reports and surveys.

All England players, including age-grade squads, are trained in being "engaged observers" to intervene 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 ended your playing days, but in our view, you have done so well. We are so proud of you and to have you as a son."

Burrell's dad Geoff died shortly after the production of the film, and his sister passed away recently.

Burrell, who was raised on a social housing in Huddersfield, continues his work to make the game more accessible.

His 12 Foundation aims to reach young people in disadvantaged communities and support them thrive both on the pitch with free sports training, mentoring and nutrition education.

"My personal motivations are genuine, I want to see the progress of the sport and if nobody else is prepared to share their experience then I'll persist to advocate for that cause because I'm not just doing this for myself," he explained.

"Everyone involved have an obligation to make the sport as great as it can be and the more I speak about it perhaps the more confident others will feel about discussing their personal experiences as well.

"I need to grab the bull by the horns and keep bearing this banner and keep supporting this weight and do what I can to develop opportunities and make the game more appealing and more inclusive.

"There are a lot of disadvantaged young people and a lot of economic hardship and I honestly think that rugby has the ability to change their futures, just as it transformed things for me."