RFU hold a review on racism
RUGBY chiefs will launch an official investigation into Newcastle Falcons this week after Luther Burrell’s explosive claims of racism.
An independent review set up by Twickenham chiefs will probe former England centre Burrell’s damning recollection of ‘banter’ involving bananas, fried chicken, slavery and casual use of the N-word.
RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney promised the RFU was determined to “get our arms round” the issue before rugby is exposed to a cricket-style meltdown, where Azeem Rafiq trashed Yorkshire’s reputation with damaging testimony about dressingroom culture.
Sweeney said: “It will be an RFU inquiry with an independent chair.
“It is very important and good for Luther to speak up. He came down here, we met him along with
PRL (Premiership Rugby) and the RPA (Rugby Players Association) and I met him in Yorkshire last week again, so we sat down and had a further conversation there.
“He has been very open, very transparent. He’s explaining and telling us his feelings and his views in terms of what has happened.
“In terms of two tangible things coming out of that, we’ve reached an agreement with Newcastle in terms of what we have to do in there and to hold an appropriate independent review of what has happened there.
“That is the first stage, and he is fully involved in that, he is aware of all of that.
“And then, secondly, we are setting up a process jointly with the RPA and with PRL to go out to the broader professional game and create the right environment for people to be able to feed back in their views.
“It is important to go through that because, until you do, you don’t get your arms around the extent of the issue.”