Sounding the alarm on racism ended my professional journey - Burrell

Important note: This article contains descriptions of racially offensive comments and conduct

Ex-England player Luther Burrell states that going public to reveal racial discrimination in professional rugby led his career to an early conclusion.

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

At that time 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 happened," he told reporters.

"I wanted to continue competing, naturally I did. I sought that, and it fell through when news came out that there were inquiries going on.

"This situation was difficult - I had to simply come to terms with the outcome and understand that this entire process is a lot bigger than me."

A sports organization report in April 2023 found Burrell's claims were accurate "likely correct", but said it could not gather enough proof to definitively say they occurred at Newcastle.

Burrell told media he also faced 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.

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

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

"This is something that has been dressed up as humour and that's been the issue that I've personally experienced and witnessed," 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 acceptable and that it's not harmful, but that's nonsense."

Burrell says he was finally spurred to go public after a fellow player at Newcastle called him as a "slave" and instructed him to put sunscreen on his arms and legs "where your shackles were."

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

"We has given considerable focus on inclusion and inclusion in rugby union and a great deal of work undertaken both before and after Luther Burrell spoke publicly and revealed his experiences of racism and class discrimination," it continued.

"We are continuing work with clubs and stakeholders in the elite level to work for a environment of inclusivity but acknowledge this takes time and is an continuous effort."

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

All England athletes, including youth squads, are trained in being "engaged observers" to intervene and protect others from harmful conduct.

"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 effect on you and ended your career, but in our eyes, you have achieved so much. We are so impressed of you and to have you as a son."

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

Burrell, who grew up on a council estate in Huddersfield, continues his work to make the sport more open.

His 12 Foundation works to connect with young people in under-served communities and help them succeed both on the field with free sports training, mentoring and nutrition education.

"My personal intentions are genuine, I want to see the evolution of the sport and if nobody else is prepared to tell their experience then I'll continue to fight that cause because I'm not just doing this for my own benefit," he said.

"Everyone involved have an obligation to make the sport as great as it can be and the more I speak about it perhaps the more confident fellow players will feel about discussing their own experiences as well.

"I take the challenge by the horns and continue carrying this banner and keep supporting this responsibility and accomplish what I can to develop opportunities and make the game more appealing and more inclusive.

"There's a lot of disadvantaged children and a lot of economic hardship and I honestly believe that the sport has the ability to change their futures, just as it transformed things for me."