Everyone in New Orleans is a Saints fan – whether it’s an easy year or not – but football isn’t necessarily thought of as a place for everyone. Khalen Saunders has made it a mission to make football a safe and inclusive place for everyone. This summer, the defensive tackle is hosting his first LGBTQ-friendly football camp through his foundation Original Element. Saunders shares why he started his foundation, a look into the camp and gives us his feelings on the upcoming New Orleans Saints football season.
Q: What made you want to start Original Element?
When you become someone with a platform — a football player, any type of sports, any type of entertainer — you want to try and continue a legacy outside of that. That was kind of my thought process of behind it.
I’ve been doing this for long enough, going into my seventh year playing in the NFL, and I thought, how do I make an impact off of the field, you know? And so that was what made me want to start up Original Element Foundation. And then, going into that, you have to kind of figure out what your foundation stands for. So obviously, with the help of my team and myself, we kind of sat there and had a bunch of calls and figured out, what are my pillars, what do I want to promote? In that process, I just looked at what got me to where I was at, and what my values are. That’s how inclusivity ended up being one of the pillars. And then, activity — as far as getting kids to be out and active — because that was a big part of my childhood, going to the recreational centers and playing basketball and being out, not being at home and doing something positive. And then food insecurity. That has to do with all the years of the EBT cards and food stamps and stuff like that that my grandmother, great grandmother and many generations have had. Those are the pillars that I chose to focus in on, and it’s been going really well.
Q: You’ve been quoted saying, “Being an ally is more than just words, but rather action.” Is that why you wanted to host an LGBTQ+-friendly football camp?
Absolutely. Because obviously my brother being the person who I’m an ally to, and talks with him from years and years, all the way back to high school and college ‘till today. Conversations [we had] taught me so much more about the LGBTQ community, the hardships that they face, and some of the stuff they have to go through that you just shouldn’t have to go through. Every group of people is going to face challenges, but certain challenges shouldn’t even exist. I’ve been in the NFL for a little while and made some plays, and, you know. People kind of have heard about me a little bit. And then my brother [a choreographer and dancer, got to be on] stage with Taylor Swift. Had one of us not been in our [high profile] fields, [this] would have been just another random story. I think that’s why it’s become such a big headline. But you know, this is what I’ve always been ready for. As long as I can remember, my brother has been openly gay, and it has never bothered me. I didn’t know it was a problem until I got around other people. That’s when I started to be like, OK, something has to be done about that. Because not only is he not comfortable being in certain places I am, [such as] coming to my games and stuff like that, I’m not comfortable with knowing what’s going on in the crowd with him. So that was a big part of where I wanted to include that in a camp.
Q: Should Saints fans be hopeful this year?
Obviously, I want to take my time first and foremost and apologize for last year. As a part of the team, I want to put my best foot forward and say, we apologize for putting y’all through that. I can say this year, though, I have a lot of optimism. We have got a lot of fresh starts and a lot of fresh faces in positions. We’ve always had the talent. I’ve been here for the last two years, going on my third, and we’ve always had the talent. And that’s not just getting in front of the media, and you just give them what they want to hear, right? I’m not. That’s not this, because I can go through each position and name a Hall of Famer, offense and defense. They’re not just hopefuls. These are proven Hall of Fame people. So, we have everything we need. It’s just a matter of coming together and having that cohesiveness that you need as a team. I think that we’re starting early on, we got a great coaching staff who was part of winning championships, and Kellen Moore, and then our defensive staff. Coach Brandon Staley, notorious for turning defenses around and making them to a top ten defense. So like I said, we have all the pieces we need. It just comes down to playing, playing together, and I think we’re doing a really good job of that, especially from what I’ve seen. Even the team bonding, it’s just bringing us together really close to where you have to have that going into the season.
Favorite Restaurant: Jamaican Jerk House
Favorite thing to do in the city: Head to Vandal, and I’ve also been getting into the festivals around the city.
True confession: Through the draft, everyone kind of found out I can do flips, but I’m also a self-taught piano player.
