Northampton Saints say Luther Burrell did not experience racist abuse during his time at the club

The Northampton Saints confirmed that racist abuse revealed by Luther Burrell what he experienced at the hands of past teammates did not happen in his seven years at the club.

In an extremely candid interview with the Mail on Sunday last weekend, Burrell said there was “widespread” racism in the English Rugby Union.

32-year-old center, currently without a club after being released by the Newcastle Falcons at the end of last season, he remembered the players joking about slavery, and he remembered being called “n —–”.

On Monday night, Northampton, for whom Burrell played between 2012 and 2019, recently worked with the Warrington Wolves in the rugby league, issued a statement on behalf of their CEO Mark Darbon.

“Everyone at Northampton Saints was sad and appalled when they read Luther Burrell’s comments posted yesterday, detailing the racist abuse he experienced in his acting career,” Darbon said.

“The club condemns all forms of discrimination and turned to Luther yesterday to offer our support and welcome his courage in speaking.

“During the conversation, we were reassured that Luther had not experienced any racial abuse during his time at Northampton Saints. The club will continue its ongoing work to ensure that Franklin Gardens remains an inclusive environment for all Northampton players, staff and fans.

“We have invited Luther to return to Franklin Gardens in the coming months to contribute to the diversity and inclusion projects already underway by the club community and commercial staff.

“Saints will welcome and support the broader action taken by the RFU and the Rugby Premiership to improve education and awareness in the Rugby Union so that we can eradicate discrimination from our game.”

While he did not name any perpetrators, the Mail on Sunday interview also detailed the racist WhatsApp conversation between the players that Burrell witnessed.

Newcastle promised a “full internal investigation,” while Burrell had previously represented Leeds and Sale Sharks before his work in Northampton.

“After Luther Burrell spoke at the weekend about his experience in his long and distinguished career, Newcastle Falcons wants to emphasize that he is determined to ensure that our club will be a hospitable and fully inclusive environment for all,” the Newcastle Falcons statement said.

“There is no room for racism in rugby, sports or any lifestyle. We have spoken to Luther to offer our full support, and we are committed to finding out if any of the opportunities he refers to occurred during his time at the Newcastle Falcons as part of a full internal investigation.