The NFL lowered the hammer on the Atlanta Falcons and their defensive coordinator, Jeff Ulbrich, after the latter’s son filmed himself placing a prank call to Shedeur Sanders during the NFL Draft.
Ulbrich’s son apologized for wrongly acquiring Sanders’ phone number from his father’s iPad, which stores privileged information, and calling Sanders to act like he was going to draft him.
Sanders was in the throes of a nationally embarrassing situation when the younger Ulbrich called him. Rarely in the history of the NFL has a star prospect fallen so far in the draft. Angst and frustration were clearly visible on the faces of Shedeur Sanders and his famous father, the legendary Deion Sanders.
The NFL levied harsh punishment on the Falcons and Jeff Ulbrich
The NFL informed the media that the Falcons were fined $250K while Ulbrich was hit with a $100K deduction from his wallet for “failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club in advance of the NFL Draft,” ESPN reports.
How the NFL Draft debacle unfolded
The Falcons said in a statement Sunday that Ulbrich’s son, Jax Ulbrich, surreptitiously wrote down the number from his father’s iPad — which was open and therefore easily accessible — during a visit to his parents’ home “to later conduct a prank call.” The son then pretended like he was a general manager who was prepared to draft Shedeur higher than he was actually selected.
Max Ulbrich told Sanders during the viral call, “We’re going to take you with our next pick, man, but you’re going to have to wait a little bit longer, man. Sorry about that.”
A person was filming the episode for posterity, and the video showed a completely baffled Sanders asking his supporters, “What does that mean?”
Shedeur was eventually drafted in the fifth round at pick No. 144 by the Cleveland Browns on Saturday afternoon, April 26.
The Falcons accept the NFL’s fines
The Falcons publicly agreed with the NFL’s quick and harsh decision.
“We appreciate the NFL’s swift and thorough review of last week’s data exposure and the event that transpired due to it. We were proactive in addressing the situation internally and cooperated fully with the league throughout the process, and accept the discipline levied to Coach Jeff Ulbrich and the organization. We are confident in our security policies and practices and will continue to emphasize adherence to them with our staff whether on or off premises.”
The Falcons added that “the Ulbrich family is working with the organization to participate in community service initiatives in relation to last week’s matter.”
Jax Ulbrich said he apologized to Shedeur Sanders
The prankster son, for his part, showed public contrition for tricking Sanders into believing he was a decision maker for the New Orleans Saints.
On his Instagram page, Jax Ulbrich said Sanders accepted his apology during a phone call, and that his actions were “completely inexcusable, embarrassing and shameful.”
“I’m so sorry I took away from your moment, it was selfish and childish,” Jax Ulbrich wrote to Sanders on IG. “I could never imagine getting ready to celebrate one of the greatest moments of your life and I made a terrible mistake and messed with that moment. Thank you for accepting my call earlier today, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
