The former player: 'I wanted to carry on playing'
Warning: This article contains details of discriminatory comments and behaviour
Ex-England centre Luther Burrell claims that going public to reveal racism in professional rugby brought his professional journey to an premature conclusion.
In a 2022 interview, Burrell described racism as being "rife" in the game, showing Whatsapp messages and remembering training ground "jokes" he had been subject to while playing for Newcastle.
Then 34 and without a team, Burrell's only professional rugby since has been a handful of games with invitational side the Barbarians.
"I have absolutely had to retire because of what occurred," he explained to reporters.
"I wanted to carry on playing, of course I did. I pursued that, and it collapsed when word came out that there were inquiries going on.
"That was challenging - I had to simply come to terms with the outcome and accept that this entire process is a lot more important 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 collect enough evidence to definitively say they happened at Newcastle.
Luther Burrell started all of England's Six Nations games in 2014 and 2015, but was controversially excluded for their squad for the 2015 tournament
Burrell revealed to media he also encountered prejudice within the England set-up, during a international career that saw him win 15 appearances after his debut in 2014.
"I've had several traumatic experiences within the national team," he said.
"Some discrimination and other just outdated thinking that's really unacceptable."
Racism had become normalised in team environments, in Burrell's experience.
"It's something that has been disguised as humour and that's been the issue that I've personally suffered and witnessed," said Burrell, who is of Jamaican descent.
"During a period of time you just learn to believe that it's the norm and that is acceptable and that it's not malicious, but that's nonsense."
Burrell explains he was eventually spurred to go public after a team-mate at Newcastle referred to him as a "enslaved person" and told him to put sunscreen on his arms and legs "where your shackles were."
The governing body said Burrell's disclosures had led to "a deeper look at the culture within the elite game and to the implementation of an strategy for the professional game."
"The organization has placed considerable focus on diversity and inclusion in the sport and a substantial amount of work undertaken both before and after Luther Burrell came forward and revealed his encounters of racism and class discrimination," it added.
"The organization are continuing work with clubs and partners in the elite level to work for a culture of inclusivity but recognize this takes time and is an ongoing process."
Every Prem and women's rugby club now has in-person education on building inclusive environments, with its effectiveness monitored via specific documentation and surveys.
All England athletes, including age-grade squads, are trained in being "active bystanders" to intervene and defend others from harmful behaviour.
"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.
"I know it has had this effect on you and finished 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 father Geoff died shortly after the filming of the film, and his sister passed away earlier this year.
Burrell, who grew up on a social housing in Huddersfield, maintains his work to make the sport more accessible.
His charitable organization aims to connect with young people in disadvantaged communities and support them succeed on and off the field with complimentary sports coaching, guidance and nutrition education.
"My intentions are genuine, I want to see the progress of the game and if nobody else is willing to tell their story then I'll continue to advocate for that cause because I'm not just pursuing this for my own benefit," he said.
"We have an responsibility to make the game as excellent as it can be and the more I talk about it hopefully the more comfortable fellow players will become about sharing their personal stories as well.
"I need to grab the bull by the opportunity and continue bearing this banner and keep supporting this weight and do what I can to develop possibilities and make the sport more attractive and more welcoming.
"There are a lot of underprivileged children and a lot of poverty and I sincerely believe that the sport has the potential to transform their futures, just as it transformed things for me."
Burrell scored for the Barbarians on a return to former club Northampton in late 2022
