Blowing the whistle on racial discrimination cut short my professional journey - Luther Burrell

Important note: This article contains descriptions of discriminatory comments and behaviour

Ex-England centre Luther Burrell claims that going public to reveal racial discrimination in professional rugby led his career to an premature conclusion.

In a 2022 interview, Burrell characterized racism as being "rife" in the game, showing Whatsapp messages and remembering training ground "jokes" 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 guest team the Barbarians.

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

"I really hoped to continue playing, naturally I did. I sought that, and it fell through when word came out that there were inquiries going on.

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

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

Burrell told journalists he also faced discrimination within the England team environment, during a international career that saw him win 15 appearances after his debut in 2014.

"I've had multiple distressing experiences within England camp," 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.

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

"During a period of time you just learn to believe that it's the norm and that is fine and that it's not malicious, but that's incorrect."

Burrell says he was eventually spurred to go public after a team-mate at Newcastle referred to him as a "enslaved person" and instructed him to put sunscreen on his wrists and ankles "where your shackles were."

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

"The organization has placed significant attention on inclusion and diversity in the sport and a great deal of work undertaken both prior and since Luther Burrell spoke publicly and shared his encounters of racism and class discrimination," it continued.

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

All Premiership and PWR club now has face-to-face education on creating inclusive environments, with its effectiveness tracked via specific documentation and surveys.

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

"You be so proud of what you have accomplished," Burrell's mother Joyce said to him as part of the documentary Luther Burrell - Rugby, Racism and Redemption.

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

Burrell's dad Geoff died soon after the production of the documentary, and his sibling died earlier this year.

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

His charitable organization aims to connect with young people in under-served communities and help them succeed both on the field with complimentary sports coaching, mentoring and nutrition education.

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

"We have an responsibility to make the game as great as it can be and the longer I speak about it hopefully the more confident others will become about discussing their personal stories as well.

"I need to take the challenge by the horns and continue carrying this banner and continue supporting this responsibility and do what I can to create possibilities and make the sport more appealing and more inclusive.

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