The former player: 'I wanted to carry on my rugby career'
Warning: This piece includes descriptions of discriminatory comments and conduct
Ex-England centre Luther Burrell states that speaking out to expose racism in rugby union brought his professional journey to an early end.
In a 2022 interview, Burrell described racism as being "rife" in the sport, showing Whatsapp messages and remembering training ground "comments" he had been exposed to while playing for Newcastle.
Then 34 and without a team, Burrell's only elite playing since has been three appearances with guest team the Barbarians.
"I have absolutely had to retire because of what occurred," he told media outlets.
"I really hoped to continue playing, naturally I did. I sought that, and it fell through when news emerged that there were investigations underway.
"This situation was challenging - I had to simply come to terms with the fate and accept that this whole process is a lot bigger than me."
A rugby governing body investigation in April 2023 found Burrell's allegations were accurate "on the balance of probability", but said it could not gather enough proof to definitively say they happened at Newcastle.
Luther Burrell started all of England's Six Nations games in 2014 and 2015, but was surprisingly overlooked for their squad for the 2015 World Cup
Burrell told media he also encountered prejudice within the England team environment, during a Test career that saw him earn 15 appearances after his debut in February 2014.
"I've had several traumatic experiences within England camp," he stated.
"Certain instances of discrimination and some just outdated thinking that's really inappropriate."
Racism had become accepted in dressing rooms, in Burrell's experience.
"It's something that has been dressed up as banter and that's been the issue that I've myself experienced and witnessed," said Burrell, who is of Jamaican heritage.
"Over a period of time you just begin to believe that it's the standard and that is acceptable and that it's not malicious, but that's nonsense."
Burrell explains he was finally spurred to go public after a fellow player at Newcastle called him as a "enslaved person" and instructed him to put sunscreen on his arms and legs "where your shackles were."
The rugby authority said Burrell's revelations had led to "a deeper look at the environment within the elite game and to the implementation of an strategy for the elite level."
"We has placed considerable attention on diversity and diversity in the sport and a substantial amount of work completed both prior and since Luther Burrell came forward and shared his experiences of racism and classism," it added.
"We are ongoing work with clubs and partners in the professional game to work for a environment of acceptance but recognize this requires patience and is an ongoing process."
Every Premiership and PWR club now has face-to-face training on building welcoming environments, with its effectiveness tracked via individual reports and surveys.
All England players, including age-grade squads, are trained in being "active bystanders" to step in and defend others from harmful behaviour.
"You be so proud of what you have done," Burrell's mother Joyce said to him as part of the film Luther Burrell - Rugby, Racism and Redemption.
"I know it has had this impact on you and ended your playing days, but in our eyes, you have achieved so well. We are so proud of you and to have you as a family member."
Burrell's father Geoff died shortly after the production 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 sport more accessible.
His 12 Foundation aims to connect with children in under-served communities and help them thrive both on the field with free sports training, mentoring and dietary education.
"My intentions are genuine, I want to see the progress of the game and if nobody else is willing to share their story then I'll persist to advocate for that cause because I'm not just doing this for myself," he explained.
"We have an obligation to make the sport as great as it can be and the longer I speak about it perhaps the more confident others will feel about discussing their personal stories as well.
"I need to take the challenge by the opportunity and keep carrying this banner and continue carrying this responsibility and accomplish what I can to develop opportunities and make the sport more attractive and more welcoming.
"There are a lot of underprivileged children and a lot of poverty and I sincerely think that rugby has the ability to transform their lives, just as it did for me."
Burrell scored a try for the Barbarians on a comeback to previous team Northampton in late 2022
