New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Khalen Saunders is all about inclusion, and that's why he's hosting his own LGBTQ-friendly youth football camp. Saunders made the announcement during the 2025 GLAAD Media Awards on March 27, and he further spoke about it on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football."
"My goal [is] to continue to spread positive energy around that because football is for everybody," he said on the show, according to People. "Football is for all."
Saunders, 28, is the brother of Kameron Saunders, one of Taylor Swift's back-up dancers. Kameron is a member of the LGBTQ community, and Khalen said he's a proud partner of GLAAD.
"Being an ally is more than just saying I support, but it's also showing up," Saunders said. "Being in the NFL is very male-dominant and heterosexual dominant and it feels as though there's not really a space for the LGBTQ community."
Khalen said he plans on hosting the camp in the summer. Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end RK Russell, who came out as bisexual in 2019, is co-hosting the camp alongside Saunders.
"These are people who feel like they have to be hidden," Saunders said, "although they might love the sport, they might love the NFL. They might love football in general as a sport, but they kind of shy away from it just because of orientations, or all these other outside things."
Saunders finished the 2024 season with 43, including 18 solo, total tackles, 3 pass deflections and 1 interception returned for 37 yards.