Blowing the alarm on racism cut short my professional journey - Burrell

Warning: This piece includes details of discriminatory comments and behaviour

Ex-England player Luther Burrell says that going public to reveal racial discrimination in rugby union led his professional journey to an premature end.

In a 2022 interview, Burrell characterized racism as being "widespread" in the sport, displaying digital communications and remembering training ground "jokes" he had been exposed to while representing Newcastle.

Then 34 and without a team, 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 occurred," he told reporters.

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

"That was challenging - I had to just come to terms with the outcome and accept that this whole situation is a lot more important than me."

A sports organization report in April 2023 found Burrell's allegations were accurate "likely correct", but said it could not collect enough evidence to definitively say they happened at Newcastle.

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

"I have had several traumatic experiences within England camp," he stated.

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

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

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

"Over a extended period you just learn to think that it's the norm 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 sun cream on his arms and legs "where your shackles were."

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

"We has placed significant attention on inclusion and inclusion in the sport and a great deal of work completed both before and after Luther Burrell spoke publicly and shared his experiences of racism and classism," it continued.

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

All Premiership and PWR club now has in-person training on building welcoming environments, with its effectiveness tracked via individual reports and feedback.

All England athletes, including age-grade squads, are trained in being "engaged observers" to step in and defend others from harmful behaviour.

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

"We know it has had this impact on you and finished your career, but in our eyes, you have achieved so much. We are so impressed of you and to have you as a family member."

Burrell's dad Geoff died shortly after the filming of the film, and his sister passed away earlier this year.

Burrell, who grew up on a social housing in Huddersfield, continues his work to make the game more open.

His 12 Foundation aims to connect with young people in disadvantaged communities and help them thrive both on the field with free sports training, guidance and dietary education.

"My personal intentions are genuine, I want to see the progress of the sport and if others is willing to tell their story then I'll persist to advocate for that fight because I'm not just doing this for myself," he explained.

"We have an responsibility to make the sport as great as it can be and the longer I talk about it perhaps the more confident others will feel about sharing their own experiences as well.

"I grab the bull by the horns and keep bearing this flag and continue carrying this weight and accomplish what I can to create possibilities and make the sport more attractive and more welcoming.

"There's a lot of underprivileged young people and a lot of economic hardship and I honestly think that the sport has the ability to change their futures, just as it did for me."