Sounding the whistle on racism terminated my career - Burrell

Important note: This article contains descriptions of racially offensive comments and behaviour

Ex-England centre Luther Burrell says that speaking out to expose racial discrimination in rugby union led his career to an premature end.

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

Then 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 absolutely had to end my career because of what happened," he explained to media outlets.

"I wanted to continue competing, of course I did. I pursued that, and it collapsed when word came out that there were inquiries going on.

"That was difficult - I had to just accept the outcome and accept that this entire process is a lot bigger than me."

A sports organization investigation in April 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 revealed to media he also faced prejudice within the England team environment, during a international career that saw him win 15 caps after his debut in 2014.

"I've had several traumatic experiences within England camp," he said.

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

Racism had become normalised in dressing rooms, in Burrell's view.

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

"Over a extended period you just learn to think that it's the standard and that is acceptable and that it's not harmful, but that's nonsense."

Burrell explains he was finally spurred to go public after a fellow player at Newcastle referred to him as a "enslaved person" and told him to put sunscreen on his arms and legs "where chains would be placed."

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

"We has placed considerable focus on inclusion and inclusion in rugby union and a substantial amount of work completed both prior and since Luther Burrell spoke publicly and revealed his experiences of racism and class discrimination," it continued.

"We are continuing work with clubs and partners in the elite level to strive for a culture of acceptance but recognize this requires patience and is an continuous effort."

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

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

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

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

Burrell's dad Geoff died soon after the filming of the documentary, and his sibling died recently.

Burrell, who grew up on a council estate in Huddersfield, maintains his work to make the game more open.

His 12 Foundation aims to reach children in disadvantaged communities and help them succeed on and off the field with complimentary sports coaching, guidance and nutrition education.

"My personal motivations are pure, I want to see the progress of the game and if others is prepared to share their story then I'll continue to fight that fight because I'm not just doing this for myself," he said.

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

"I need to grab the challenge by the horns and continue carrying this flag and keep carrying this responsibility and do what I can to create opportunities 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 change their lives, just as it transformed things for me."