As revealed by ESPN on Wednesday (April 30), the NFL issued significant penalties to the Atlanta Falcons and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich after a prank call involving quarterback prospect Shedeur Sanders led to a breach of draft protocol. The Falcons were fined $250,000, while Ulbrich received a separate $100,000 fine for failing to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of confidential player information.
The incident occurred during the 2025 NFL Draft when Ulbrich’s 21-year-old son, Jax, used his father’s iPad to access Shedeur’s private phone number. Jax and another individual placed a call to Shedeur pretending to be New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, falsely telling him he was about to be drafted. A video of the call briefly circulated on X before being taken down, prompting a league investigation.
Falcons, Ulbrich and NFL respond to the draft night incident
Shedeur, the youngest son of NFL great Deion Sanders, was expected to go in the early rounds of the draft, but his selection was delayed until the fifth round, when he was picked up by the Cleveland Browns. Following the incident, the NFL released a statement citing the Falcons’ “[failure] to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club in advance of the NFL Draft.”
The Falcons confirmed the fines and said in a statement that the Ulbrich family would be participating in community service initiatives as part of the response. The organization added that it remained “confident in our security policies and practices” and planned to reinforce internal protocols moving forward.
At a press conference, Jeff Ulbrich publicly accepted responsibility, stating: “My actions of not protecting confidential data were inexcusable. My son’s actions were absolutely inexcusable, and for that we are both deeply sorry.” He also confirmed that he and Jax personally reached out to the Sanders family to apologize and that they would not appeal the league’s decision.
Additional draft night prank calls under NFL review
Jax Ulbrich posted a public apology on Instagram, describing the prank as “completely inexcusable, embarrassing and shameful.” He wrote that he understood the impact of his actions and appreciated Shedeur’s willingness to accept his call.
Shedeur addressed the situation after being drafted, saying that while the prank was “childish,” it ultimately didn’t affect his focus. “It didn’t really have an impact on me,” he said during a press call with Cleveland-area media. “I don’t feed into negativity… It is what it is.”
Other prospects reportedly received similar prank calls on draft night, including tight end Tyler Warren and quarterback Kyle McCord. However, the NFL noted those incidents are not believed to be connected to the Falcons’ situation. The league is continuing to look into those calls.