NFL fines Falcons, DC Jeff Ulbrich over Shedeur Sanders prank call

By: Sean Davis May 2, 2025

The NFL has fined the Atlanta Falcons $250,000 and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich $100,000 after Ulbrich’s 21-year-old son, Jax, used confidential draft information to prank call quarterback prospect Shedeur Sanders during the NFL draft. Jax Ulbrich obtained Sanders’ private draft contact number from his father’s open iPad while visiting his parents’ home and later impersonated New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis in a call to Sanders as he awaited his selection. The prank, which was captured on video and circulated on social media, occurred while Sanders-once projected as a first-round pick-endured a surprising slide before being drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round.

The NFL stated the fines were for "failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club in advance of the NFL Draft". Both Ulbrich and the Falcons accepted the penalties without appeal, with Ulbrich publicly apologizing for not safeguarding sensitive data and calling his and his son’s actions "inexcusable". Jax Ulbrich also issued a public apology on Instagram, calling his actions "completely inexcusable, embarrassing, and shameful," and thanked Sanders for accepting his call earlier in the day.

The Falcons announced that the Ulbrich family will participate in community service initiatives related to the incident and emphasized their commitment to improving data security and staff compliance. Jeff Ulbrich said he was unaware of the prank until after it occurred and immediately informed the team and reached out to the Sanders family, who he described as "amazingly gracious-more gracious than they needed to be in a moment like this".

Shedeur Sanders, for his part, said the prank did not impact him, calling it "childish" but stating, "I don’t feed into negativity... it is what it is. Of course, it is childish. Of course, I feel like it was a childish act, but everybody does childish things here and there". The NFL continues to investigate other unrelated prank calls made to players during the draft.

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