Blowing the alarm on racism terminated my professional journey - Burrell

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

Ex-England player Luther Burrell says that speaking out to expose racial discrimination in professional rugby brought his professional journey to an early conclusion.

In a June 2022, Burrell characterized racism as being "rife" in the game, displaying digital communications and recalling training ground "comments" he had been subject to while representing Newcastle.

Then 34 and out of contract, Burrell's only professional rugby since has been a handful of games with invitational side the Barbarians.

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

"I wanted to carry on competing, naturally I did. I pursued that, and it fell through when word emerged that there were inquiries going on.

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

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

Burrell told media he also faced discrimination within the England set-up, during a international career that saw him earn 15 caps after his debut in 2014.

"I have had multiple distressing experiences within England camp," he said.

"Some discrimination and some just outdated thinking that's really unacceptable."

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

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

"During a extended period you just begin to think that it's the standard and that is acceptable 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 "enslaved person" and instructed him to put sunscreen on his arms and legs "where chains would be placed."

The governing body said Burrell's revelations had led to "a deeper look at the culture within the elite game and to the introduction of an strategy for the elite level."

"The organization has placed significant focus on inclusion and inclusion in rugby union and a great deal of work completed both prior and after Luther Burrell spoke publicly and shared his experiences of racism and class discrimination," it continued.

"The organization are continuing work with clubs and partners in the professional game to strive for a culture of inclusivity but acknowledge this requires patience and is an ongoing process."

Every Premiership and PWR club now has face-to-face training on creating welcoming cultures, with its success tracked via individual reports and surveys.

All England players, including age-grade squads, are trained in being "engaged observers" to step in and protect others from harmful conduct.

"You should be so pleased of what you have done," Burrell's mother Joyce told him as part of the film Luther Burrell - Rugby, Racism and Redemption.

"We know it has had this impact 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 family member."

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

Burrell, who was raised on a council estate in his hometown, maintains his work to make the game more accessible.

His charitable organization works to connect with young people in under-served communities and support them thrive both on the field with free sports coaching, mentoring and dietary education.

"My 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 continue to fight that fight because I'm not just pursuing this for my own benefit," he explained.

"We have an responsibility to make the sport as excellent as it can be and the longer I talk about it hopefully the more comfortable fellow players will feel about discussing their own stories as well.

"I grab the bull by the horns and keep bearing this banner and continue supporting this responsibility and accomplish what I can to develop opportunities and make the game more attractive and more inclusive.

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