Blowing the whistle on racism ended my professional journey - Luther Burrell

Important note: This article contains details of racially offensive language and conduct

Ex-England player Luther Burrell states that speaking out to expose racial discrimination in rugby union brought his career to an premature end.

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

At that time 34 and without a team, Burrell's only elite playing since has been three appearances with guest team the Barbarians.

"I've have definitely had to end my career because of what happened," he told reporters.

"I hoped to carry on playing, naturally I did. I pursued that, and it fell through when word came out that there were investigations 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 report in April 2023 found Burrell's allegations were true "on the balance of probability", but stated it could not gather enough evidence to definitively say they occurred at Newcastle.

Burrell revealed to journalists he also encountered prejudice within the England team environment, during a international career that saw him earn 15 appearances after his debut in February 2014.

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

"Some discrimination and some just outdated thinking that's really unacceptable."

Racism had become normalised 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 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 acceptable and that it's not harmful, but that's nonsense."

Burrell says he was eventually motivated to speak out after a fellow player at Newcastle called him as a "enslaved person" and instructed him to put sunscreen on his arms and legs "where your shackles were."

The rugby authority said Burrell's revelations had led to "increased scrutiny at the culture within the elite game and to the introduction of an action plan for the professional game."

"The organization has given significant focus on diversity and diversity in the sport and a substantial amount of work completed both before and after Luther Burrell came forward and revealed his experiences of racism and class discrimination," it continued.

"We are ongoing work with clubs and stakeholders in the elite level to strive for a culture of inclusivity but acknowledge this takes time and is an continuous effort."

Every Prem and women's rugby club now has face-to-face training on building welcoming environments, with its success tracked via specific documentation and surveys.

All England athletes, including youth squads, are trained in being "active bystanders" to intervene and defend others from damaging behaviour.

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

"We know it has had this impact on you and ended your career, 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 soon after the production of the film, and his sister died earlier this year.

Burrell, who grew up on a council estate in Huddersfield, continues his work to make the sport more accessible.

His 12 Foundation aims to connect with children in under-served communities and help them thrive both on the pitch with free sports training, guidance and nutrition education.

"My personal motivations are genuine, I want to see the evolution of the game and if nobody else is willing to share their experience then I'll continue to advocate for that fight because I'm not just pursuing this for my own benefit," he explained.

"Everyone involved have an obligation to make the sport as great as it can be and the more I talk about it perhaps the more confident fellow players will become about sharing their personal experiences as well.

"I need to take the challenge by the opportunity and keep carrying this banner and continue carrying this weight and accomplish what I can to create opportunities and make the game more attractive and more inclusive.

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