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

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

FormerEngland centre Luther Burrell says that speaking out to expose racial discrimination in professional rugby brought his professional journey to an premature end.

In a June 2022, Burrell characterized racism as being "rife" in the sport, showing Whatsapp messages and recalling training ground "comments" he had been subject to while representing Newcastle.

At that time 34 and out of contract, 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 went on," he explained to media outlets.

"I wanted to continue competing, of course I did. I pursued that, and it collapsed when news came out that there were investigations underway.

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

A sports organization report in 2023 found Burrell's claims were accurate "on the balance of probability", but stated it could not gather enough proof to categorically say they occurred at Newcastle.

Burrell told media he also faced prejudice 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 multiple distressing experiences within England camp," he stated.

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

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

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

"During a period of time you just begin to think that it's the standard and that is fine and that it's not malicious, but that's incorrect."

Burrell says he was finally motivated to go public after a fellow player at Newcastle called him as a "slave" and instructed him to put sun cream on his wrists and ankles "where your shackles were."

The governing body said Burrell's disclosures had led to "a deeper look at the culture within the elite game and to the implementation of an action plan for the elite level."

"The organization has given considerable focus on diversity and inclusion in rugby union and a substantial amount of work completed both before and since Luther Burrell spoke publicly and shared his experiences of racism and class discrimination," it continued.

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

All Premiership and women's rugby club now has face-to-face training on building inclusive cultures, with its effectiveness tracked via individual reports and feedback.

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

"You should 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 ended your playing days, but in our eyes, you have done so well. We are so proud of you and to have you as a family member."

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

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

His charitable organization works to connect with young people in disadvantaged communities and help them thrive on and off the field with complimentary sports coaching, guidance and dietary education.

"My personal motivations are pure, I want to see the progress of the sport and if nobody else is prepared to share their experience then I'll persist 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 talk about it perhaps the more comfortable others will feel about discussing their own stories as well.

"I need to take the bull by the opportunity and keep carrying this flag and keep supporting this responsibility and accomplish what I can to develop opportunities and make the game more attractive and more welcoming.

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