NFL is no joke! Heavy fines for Falcons over prank call to Shedeur Sanders

The National Football League has imposed substantial fines on the Atlanta Falcons organization and their defensive coordinator, Jeff Ulbrich, following a prank phone call made to draft prospect Shedeur Sanders during the recent NFL Draft. The Falcons were fined $250,000, while Ulbrich received a $100,000 penalty. The league cited "failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club in advance of the NFL draft" as the reason for the disciplinary action.

The confidential information in question was Sanders' contact number. It was obtained by Jeff Ulbrich's 21-year-old son, Jax Ulbrich, from his father's "open iPad." Jax Ulbrich later admitted to being responsible for the prank. He and a friend reportedly made the call to Shedeur Sanders, pretending to be New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and falsely suggesting that the Saints intended to select him with their upcoming pick in the draft.

At the time of the incident, Shedeur Sanders, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders who played for Falcons during the first five years of his career and later coached Shedeur in college, was projected to be drafted in the first or second round. He was ultimately selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round.

Following the emergence of a video showing him and his friend making the call, Jax Ulbrich issued a public apology to Shedeur Sanders via Instagram. He expressed deep regret for his actions, calling them "selfish and childish" and acknowledging that he had interfered with a significant moment in Sanders' life. Jax Ulbrich stated he had spoken with Sanders earlier and hoped to be forgiven.

The Atlanta Falcons also released a statement apologizing to Shedeur Sanders for the incident. They clarified Jeff Ulbrich's involvement, stating that he "was unaware of the data exposure or any facets of the prank and was made aware of the above only after the fact," implying the defensive coordinator was not complicit in his son's actions beforehand.

For his part, Shedeur Sanders appeared unbothered by the prank when asked about it after the draft. He told reporters that the call "didn’t really have an impact on me." While acknowledging it was a "childish act," he added that "everybody does childish things here and there," downplaying its significance to his draft experience.

The incident involving Sanders was reportedly not isolated. According to Fox Sports, Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, who was drafted 14th overall by the Indianapolis Colts, also received a prank call shortly before his selection. Jax Ulbrich was not linked to this separate incident. The fines underscore the NFL's seriousness regarding the handling of confidential prospect information by team personnel.