Blowing whistle on racism killed my career - Burrell

Former England centre Luther Burrell says going public to reveal racism in rugby union brought his career to an early end.

In a June 2022 interview with the Mail on Sunday, external, Burrell described racism as being "rife" in the game, showing Whatsapp messages and recalling training ground "jokes" he had been subject to while playing for Newcastle.

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

"I have absolutely had to retire because of what went on," he told BBC Sport.

"I wanted to carry on playing, of course I did. I pursued that, and it fell through when word came out that there were investigations going on.

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

A Rugby Football Union (RFU) report in April 2023 found Burrell's claims were true "on the balance of probability", but said it could not collect enough evidence to definitively say they occurred at Newcastle, external.

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

"I've had several traumatic experiences within England camp," he said.

"Some discrimination and some just old-school mentality that's really unacceptable."

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

"It's something that has been dressed up as banter and that's been the problem that I've personally suffered and seen," said Burrell, who is of Jamaican descent.

"Over a period of time you just learn to believe that it's the norm and that is fine and that it's not malicious, but that's nonsense."

Burrell says he was eventually spurred to speak out after a team-mate at Newcastle referred to him as a "slave" and told him to put sun cream on his wrists and ankles "where your shackles were".

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

"The RFU has placed significant focus on inclusion and diversity in rugby union and a great deal of work undertaken both before and since Luther Burrell came forward and shared his experiences of racism and classism," it added.

"We are continuing work with clubs and stakeholders in the professional game to strive for a culture of inclusivity but acknowledge this takes time and is an ongoing process."

Every Prem and PWR club now has face-to-face education on building inclusive cultures, with its success monitored via individual reports and surveys.

All England players, including age-grade squads, are trained in being "active bystanders" to intervene and protect others from harmful behaviour.

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

"I know it has had this effect on you and finished your career, but in our eyes, you have done so well. We are so proud of you and to have you as a son."

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

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

His 12 Foundation aims to reach children in under-served communities and help them thrive on and off the pitch with free sports coaching, mentoring and nutrition education.

"My intentions are pure, I want to see the evolution of the game and if nobody else is prepared to share their story then I'll continue to fight that fight because I'm not just doing this for myself," he said.

"We have an obligation to make the sport as great as it can be and the more I talk about it hopefully the more comfortable others will feel about sharing their own stories as well.

"I need to grab the bull by the horns and keep carrying this flag and keep carrying this weight and do what I can to create opportunities and make the sport 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 ability to transform their lives, just as it did for me."