The NFL has announced the disciplinary action it will take toward the Atlanta Falcons and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich for allowing Shedeur Sanders’ phone number to leak during the 2025 NFL Draft.
On Wednesday morning, the league announced a $250,000 fine for the team and an additional $100,000 fine for Ulbrich ‘for failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club in advance of the NFL Draft,’ it said in a statement.
‘We appreciate the NFL’s swift and thorough review of last week’s data exposure and the event that transpired due to it,’ the Falcons said in a statement. ‘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.’
In an Instagram post on Sunday, Ulbrich’s son Jax admitted that he took Sanders’ number off of his father’s iPad and used it to prank call the former Colorado quarterback during Round 1 of this year’s draft.
‘On Friday night I made a tremendous mistake,’ his social media post read. ‘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 Falcons also apologized to Sanders and his family in a statement of their own.
‘Earlier in the week, Jax Ulbrich, the 21-year-old son of defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, unintentionally came across the draft contact phone number for Shedeur Sanders off an open iPad while visiting his parent’s home and wrote the number down to later conduct a prank call,’ the Falcons said in their statement. ‘Jeff Ulbrich was unaware of the data exposure or any facets 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.’
Sanders was not the only target of a prank call during the draft. Former Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham and former Penn State tight end Tyler Warren also reportedly received similar calls from pranksters on Thursday.
Graham’s father, Allen, confirmed the reports to the Detroit Free Press earlier this week.
‘Yeah – that happened,’ Allen Graham told the Free Press via text message. ‘Someone made a TikTok while crank calling him & showed his number on the video … his phone was getting called nonstop.’
The Cleveland Browns selected Sanders on Saturday, in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, two days after they picked Graham with the No. 5 overall pick.
Warren was selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the No. 14 overall pick.
