NFL fines Falcons and Ulbrich following draft-day prank call on Shadeur Sanders

The NFL has levied punishment towards the Atlanta Falcons and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich following a prank call made to NFL draft pick Shedeur Sanders.

Ulbrich’s son Jax “unintentionally came across the draft contact phone number for Shedeur Sanders off an open iPad while visiting his parents’ home and wrote the number down to later conduct a prank call.” This led to Sanders believing he was being drafted to the NFL as he was sliding down the board, only to find out it was a prank.

Sanders would eventually get picked in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns.

The league fined Atlanta $250,000 and Ulbrich $100,000 for failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club in advance of the NFL Draft.

“We appreciate the NFL’s swift and thorough review of last week’s data exposure and the event that transpired due to it. 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,” the Falcons said in a statement. “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.“

Ulbrich was unaware of the data exposure or the prank until after the fact. The Falcons offered “sincere apologies to Shedeur Sanders and his family” in their statement, and Jax Ulbrich also posted a public apology on social media.