Blowing the alarm on racism terminated my career - Luther Burrell

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

Ex-England centre Luther Burrell claims that speaking out to reveal racial discrimination in rugby union led his career to an premature conclusion.

In a 2022 interview, Burrell characterized racism as being "rife" in the game, showing Whatsapp messages and remembering training ground "jokes" he had been exposed to while playing for Newcastle.

Then 34 and without a team, Burrell's only elite playing since has been a handful of games with invitational side the Barbarians.

"I have absolutely had to end my career because of what happened," he told media outlets.

"I really wanted to carry on playing, of course I did. I pursued that, and it collapsed when news came out that there were investigations going on.

"That was difficult - I had to just accept the outcome and accept that this whole process is a lot bigger than me."

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

Burrell revealed to media he also encountered prejudice within the England set-up, during a international career that saw him earn 15 caps after his first game in 2014.

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

"Some discrimination and some just outdated thinking that's really inappropriate."

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

"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.

"Over a extended period you just begin 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 finally motivated to go public after a fellow player at Newcastle called him as a "slave" and told him to put sunscreen on his arms and legs "where your shackles were."

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

"We has given significant focus on inclusion and diversity in rugby union and a substantial amount of work completed both before and since Luther Burrell spoke publicly and shared his encounters of racism and classism," it continued.

"The organization are ongoing work with teams and partners in the elite level to strive for a culture of inclusivity but acknowledge this takes time and is an continuous effort."

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

All England players, including youth squads, are trained in being "active bystanders" to step in and defend others from harmful behaviour.

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

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

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

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

His charitable organization aims to connect with children in under-served communities and help them succeed on and off the pitch with free sports coaching, guidance and nutrition education.

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

"We have an responsibility to make the sport as great as it can be and the longer I speak about it hopefully the more comfortable fellow players will feel about sharing their personal stories as well.

"I need to take the bull by the horns and continue carrying this banner and continue supporting this weight and do what I can to create opportunities and make the sport more appealing and more welcoming.

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