Summary:
- Luther Burrell says his rugby career ended after publicly revealing racism within the sport.
- The RFU investigation supported his claims and launched new inclusion initiatives.
- He now managed The 12 Foundation to help underprivileged children through rugby.
Former England centre Luther Burrell says his decision to speak openly about racism in rugby effectively ended his playing career.
In a 2022 interview with the Mail on Sunday, Burrell described racism as “rife” in the sport. He shared a series of WhatsApp messages and recalled the type of offensive jokes that he faced while playing for Newcastle. Since then, he’s only appeared in a few matches for the invitational Barbarians side.
Burrell, who spent most of his career at Northampton before joining Newcastle said
I have absolutely had to retire because of what went on. 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) investigation in 2023 concluded that Burrell’s allegations were “true on the balance of probability”. However, it couldn’t gather enough evidence to prove every incident occurred at Newcastle. Burrell also told BBC Sport that discrimination wasn’t limited to his club experience.
I’ve had several traumatic experiences within England camp. Some discrimination and some just old-school mentality that’s really unacceptable.
Burrell said racism often hid behind what players called “banter” a culture that made such behavior seem normal.
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.
He decided to go public after a teammate at Newcastle called him a “slave” and joked that he should apply sunscreen to the spots “where your shackles were”.
“A Deeper Look”
The RFU said Burrell’s story prompted “a deeper look at the culture within the elite game” and led to a new inclusion plan. All Premiership and women’s teams now receive face-to-face training on creating inclusive environments, and England players are taught how to step in when they see harmful behavior.
Burrell’s mother, Joyce, told him in a BBC documentary that she was proud of him for speaking out, even if it cost him his career. His father passed away shortly after filming, and his sister earlier this year.
Burrell is currently running The 12 Foundation, an organization that specializes in offering free coaching, mentoring, and nutrition education for children who are part of underserved communities.
“My intentions are pure,” he explained, adding he wishes to “see the evolution of the game”, a game that, he believes, “has the ability to transform lives”.