The Atlanta Falcons and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich have each been fined by the NFL after Ulbrich’s son prank called quarterback Shedeur Sanders during the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sanders’ fall was the defining storyline of the NFL Draft. The Colorado star, who played for his Hall of Fame father Deion Sanders during his collegiate career, was seen by many observers as the second-best quarterback in the class and projected by some to go in the top five picks.
He instead fell to the fifth round, eventually being selected by the Cleveland Browns, with poor performance in interviews during the pre-draft process seemingly a contributing factor to a stunningly precipitous slide.
A difficult experience for Sanders was made worse when he received a prank call, orchestrated by Ulbrich’s son Jax, a student at the University of Mississippi.
The incident, in which Sanders was erroneously informed he had been drafted by the New Orleans Saints, was caught on video.
The caller said to Sanders: “It’s been a long wait, man. 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.”
Sanders seemed to give little thought to the incident, but the NFL quickly opened an investigation, and it was subsequently revealed in a statement by the Falcons that Jax Ulbrich wrote Sanders’ draft contact phone number down “off an open iPad while visiting his parent’s home”.
Jeff Ulbrich was not aware of his son’s actions, for which Jax Ulbrich subsequently apologized, labeling his prank “completely inexcusable, embarrassing and shameful”.
But the former New York Jets defensive coordinator and interim coach has still received a fine of $100,000 from the league, while the Falcons have been fined $250,000 for “failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club in advance of the NFL Draft”.
A statement from the Falcons read: “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.
“Additionally, the Ulbrich family is working with the organization to participate in community service initiatives in relation to last week’s matter.”
