After years of training, overcoming challenges, and leaving his best on the field, many agree that the NFL draft did Shedeur Sanders dirty. Predicted to go in the first round, he ended up being rookie #144, a fifth-round pick for the Cleveland Browns. But amid waiting for that call, the 21-year-old son of Atlanta Falcons’ Jeff Ulbrich thought it’d be hilarious to prank call Sanders. That quickly bombed for the defensive coordinator’s son. By Sunday (April 27), Jax Ulbrich was walking back the “shameful” prank.
Meanwhile, the Falcons pointed fingers and revealed more details about private information slipped out of their defensive coordinator’s hands. In the latest update, the NFL has issued fines against the Falcons for the incident (see new info at the bottom of the article).
Editor’s Note: This article was published on April 28 and updated on April 30 to reflect new updates and information.
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Prank Caller Jax Ulbrich Apologizes To Shedeur Sanders
On Friday (April 25), Shedeur was waiting for a phone call from any interested teams. When his phone rang, while his people were filming him, he seemed excited and was smiling when a man on the line identified himself as New Orleans Saints general manager, Mickey Loomis. The impersonator ended the call by saying, “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.” Video captured on Shedeur Sanders’ side shows him confused, asking everyone surrounding him what that could mean.
@yahoosports Jax Ulbrich, the son of Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich, released a statement on Instagram apologizing for his prank call to Shedeur Sanders during the NFL Draft. (via @Deion Sanders Jr, welloffmedia/YT) #shedeursanders #nfldraft #coloradofootball #coachprime
New video footage shows Jax Ulbrich surrounded by what appears to be other college students. He was the one who provided the phone number and was seemingly sitting steps away from another student who made the call. The regret Jax later expresses was missing in action after the prank caller hung up on Sanders, though. Jax and the others were cackling about their lil’ joke. But the internet was not, and did not, especially after the prank call POV video went viral.
By Sunday, Jax revealed that he had privately spoken to Shedeur Sanders and publicly apologized for the joke-gone-wrong. He called the moment a “tremendous mistake.”
“Shedeur, what I did was completely inexcusable, embarrassing, and shameful. I’m so sorry I took away from your moment, it was selfish and childish. I could never imagine getting ready to celebrate one of the greatest moments of your life and I made a terrible mistake and messed with that moment. Thank you for accepting my call earlier today, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
The statement was posted on a black background post on Instagram with a closed comment section. It was also circulated on the account’s IG Stories. Aside from the statement, the account feed was wiped of any personal photos or other content.
Shedeur Reacts To Prank Call
Nearly 24 hours after the prank call, the Cleveland Browns gave Shedeur his first NFL home! Surrounded by loved ones, Sanders was lit with excitement and joy, writing, “Thank you GOD” on X afterward. Shedeur later spoke to reporters in Cleveland, per ESPN, and addressed the incident while speaking about joining the Browns.
“It didn’t really have an impact on me,” Sanders reportedly said, “because it was just like, I mean, OK, like I don’t feed into negativity, or I don’t feed into that stuff. You’ve seen on Deion Jr.’s YouTube video my reaction to it, I don’t…it is what it is. I think, of course, it is childish. Of course, I feel like it was a childish act, but everybody does childish things here and there.”
Before the reveal of the prank caller’s identity, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski shared STRONG words about the incident. He called the people involved “morons” while speaking to reporters on Saturday, per CNN.
“People are morons would be my reaction to that,” Coach Stefanski said. “I mean, it’s sad that these young men have to deal with this. That happened a lot in the green room in Green Bay. Guys were getting calls, so it’s silly, but onward and upward.”
Atlanta Falcons Release Statement
Jeff Ulbrich, the defensive coordinator, has yet to speak out about his son’s actions. According to the Atlanta Falcons, those actions include “unintentionally” coming across and sharing a private number slipped from his dad’s unlocked iPad during a home visit. CNN reports that the number was supposed to be accessible only to NFL personnel for draft purposes. It’s unclear what role Jeff Ulbrich played in draft operations for the Atlanta Falcons and why he had the number, but the team is sticking beside him.
“Jeff Ulbrich was unaware of the data exposure or any faucets of the prank and was made aware of the above only after the fact. The Atlanta Falcons do not condone this behavior and send our sincere apologies to Shedeur Sanders and his family, who we have been in contact with to apologize to, as well as facilitate an apology directly from Jax to the Sanders family.”
The statement added that the Falcons are “in contact with the NFL” and plan to cooperate with any directives given. In the meantime, according to ESPN reporter Adam Schefter, the defensive coordinator will not face any consequences from the Falcons for his child’s actions.
