Blowing the alarm on racial discrimination terminated my career - Burrell

Important note: This piece includes descriptions of discriminatory comments and conduct

Ex-England player Luther Burrell claims that going public to reveal racial discrimination in rugby union brought his professional journey to an early end.

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

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

"I've have absolutely had to end my career because of what went on," he explained to reporters.

"I really hoped to carry on competing, naturally I did. I pursued that, and it fell through when word emerged that there were investigations underway.

"This situation was challenging - I had to simply accept the fate and understand that this whole situation is a lot bigger than me."

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

Burrell revealed to media he also encountered discrimination within the England set-up, during a Test career that saw him win 15 appearances after his debut in 2014.

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

"Certain instances of discrimination and some just old-school mentality that's really inappropriate."

Racism had become accepted in team environments, in Burrell's view.

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

"During a period of time you just learn to believe that it's the standard and that is fine and that it's not harmful, but that's nonsense."

Burrell explains he was eventually motivated to go public after a team-mate at Newcastle called him as a "slave" and instructed him to put sun cream 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 action plan for the professional game."

"We has placed significant attention on inclusion and inclusion in rugby union and a great deal of work completed both before and since Luther Burrell spoke publicly and shared his encounters of racism and class discrimination," it continued.

"We are ongoing work with teams and stakeholders in the professional game to work for a culture of acceptance but recognize this takes time and is an ongoing process."

All Premiership and women's rugby club now has face-to-face education on creating welcoming environments, with its success tracked via individual reports and feedback.

All England athletes, including age-grade squads, are educated in being "active bystanders" to step in and defend others from harmful behaviour.

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

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

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

Burrell, who was raised on a council estate in his hometown, continues his work to make the sport more open.

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

"My intentions are pure, I want to see the progress of the sport and if nobody else is prepared to share their story then I'll persist to advocate for that cause because I'm not just doing this for my own benefit," he explained.

"We have an responsibility to make the game as great as it can be and the longer I talk about it hopefully the more comfortable fellow players will become about sharing their own stories as well.

"I grab the bull by the opportunity and continue bearing this banner and keep carrying this weight and accomplish what I can to create opportunities and make the game more appealing and more inclusive.

"There are a lot of disadvantaged children and a lot of economic hardship and I honestly think that rugby has the potential to change their lives, just as it did for me."