Falcons, defensive coordinator fined over Shedeur Sanders prank call

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Shedeur Sanders speaks at the podium during the 2025 NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on Feb. 28, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

ATLANTA - The NFL has fined the Atlanta Falcons and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich after Ulbrich's son admitted to being connected with a prank call made to quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirmed that the league has fined the team $250,000 and Ulbrich $100,000 for "failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information" that was sent ahead of the NFL Draft.

The backstory:

On Sunday, the Falcons released a statement saying 21-year-old Jax Ulbrich "unintentionally came across the draft contact phone number for Shedeur Sanders off an open iPad while visiting his parent’s home and wrote the number down to later conduct a prank call."

Though Jax Ulbrich provided the number, he was sitting beside an unidentified friend who actually made the call to Sanders, the son of the Colorado Buffaloes coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.

In the call, Jax Ulbrich’s friend identified himself as New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and told Sanders he had been drafted by the Saints before ending the call.

Falcons apologize to Shedeur Sanders over prank

The Atlanta Falcons say that a prank call to NFL draft pick Shedeur Sanders has been traced to the son of the team's defensive coordinator.

Jax Ulbrich posted an apology on his Instagram account, saying that he "made a tremendous mistake."

"I’m so sorry I took away from your moment, it was childish and selfish," the post read. I could never imagine getting ready to celebrate one of the greatest moments of your life and I made a terrible mistake and messed up with that moment. Thank you for accepting my call earlier today, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.

The Falcons said Jeff Ulbrich was unaware of the data exposure or the prank until after the fact. 

What they're saying:

"We appreciate the NFL's swift and thorough review of last week's data exposure and the event that transpired due to it," the Falcons organization said in a statement. "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. Additionally, the Ulbrich family is working with the organization to participate in community service initiatives in relation to last week's matter."

Speaking to the press on Wednesday, Ulbrich said that he took "full responsibility" and apologized to Sanders, his family, and the Falcons organization.

"My actions of not protecting confidential data were inexcusable. My son's actions were inexcusable, and for that we are both deeply sorry," he said.

Falcons coordinator apologizes for Shedeur Sanders prank call

Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said that he took ''full responsibility'' for the prank call his son helped make toward NFL draft pick Shedeur Sanders. On Thursday, the NFL fined Ulbrich $100,000 and the Falcons $250,000 for the prank, saying that they did not keep confidential information secure.

He said that he was "shocked" and "obviously not happy" when he learned his son was connected to the prank and let the team know as soon as he found out.

He says he and his son were able to apologize to the Sanders family in a phone call, saying that they were "amazingly gracious." 

Ulbrich said that he will not be appealing the fine and that he and his son will be working to show that they "are better than this."

"We gotta take this on the chin, and we absolutely are doing that and taking full responsibility," he said. "Hopefully we'll grow and be better for it."

The other side:

After he was drafted as the No. 144 overall pick in the draft by the Browns, Sanders called the prank "childish" but said that it didn't affect him.

"It didn’t really have no impact on me because it was just like, OK. I don’t feed into negativity or I don’t feed into that stuff," Sanders said Saturday after being drafted. "... This is what it is. I think, of course, it’s childish, of course I feel like it was a childish act, but everybody do childish things here and there."