ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – The National Football League fined the Atlanta Falcons and their defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich after learning the coach’s son made a prank phone call to rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders during the 2025 NFL Draft.
According to reports from the league, the team was fined $250,000 and Ulbrich was fined $100,000 for leaking Sanders’ phone number.
“First of all, I’d like to publicly apologize to Sheduer and the Sanders family for what occurred,” Ulbrich said during a press conference on Wednesday. “Second of all, I’d like to publicly apologize to Mr. (Arthur) Blank, Terry Fontenot, Raheem Morris and the entire Falcons organization. My actions of not protecting confidential data were inexcusable. My son’s actions were completely inexcusable. For that, we are both deeply sorry. The NFL has taken action, and I respect the punishment.
“I promise my son and I will work hard to demonstrate we are better than this.”
It was learned that Ulbrich’s son, Jax, was involved in the prank after a video went viral that showed Sanders taking a call from someone pretending to be the general manager of the New Orleans Saints, falsely telling him he was about to be picked.
RELATED: Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich’s son behind viral draft weekend prank call to Shedeur Sanders
Shedeur Sanders, who’s the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and current University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, was projected as a first-round pick in this year’s draft but slipped all the way down to the fifth round after teams passed up on him. He was eventually selected by the Cleveland Browns.
“We appreciate the NFL’s swift and thorough review of last week’s data exposure and the event that transpired due to it,” the team said in a statement. “We were proactive in addressing the situation internally and cooperate fully with the league throughout the process, and accept the discipline levied to Coach Jeff Ulbrich and the organization.”
Jax issued an apology through his Instagram story on Sunday. According to team sources, the Falcons have decided to not punish the defensive coordinator.
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