Chiefs draftee Khalen Saunders missed daughter’s birth, but it was in her best interest
Khalen Saunders faced a tough decision earlier this year.
Saunders, a defensive lineman at Western Illinois, made the decision not to be with his wife, Ayanna, when she gave birth to the couple’s daughter in January. The reason? Saunders was at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
After being picked Friday by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Saunders opened up about missing Kambridge’s entrance in the world.
“It was tough decision that to be made. But my wife and I decided it was best for us at that time,” Saunders said. “I’ve always said it wasn’t an either-or-decision. I wasn’t picking the game over my daughter’s birth. It was a cause and effect.”
Western Illinois isn’t known for cranking out NFL players — the last Leatherneck was drafted in 2009 — so Saunders and his wife knew it was important to be at the Senior Bowl.
That decision paid off Friday night.
Saunders said he was holding Kambridge when the Chiefs called, and he landed “one of the best jobs you can have.” That is, a place with an NFL team.
“I wanted to make a name for myself and ultimately I think it was the best decision I could have possibly made because it did nothing but help me, from practice to the game,” Saunders said.
Saunders is a proud father and shares lots of photos of Kambridge on Twitter, including these after she was born:
This story was originally published April 26, 2019 at 10:57 PM.
