Falcons, coach Jeff Ulbrich's son apologize to Shedeur Sanders for prank call

The first two days of the 2025 NFL draft were dominated by what didn’t happen – namely the free fall of University of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, a presumed first-round pick, and the intense scrutiny and reaction from traditional and social media that followed.

Sanders’ plight was exacerbated Friday, when Rounds 2 and 3 passed without his selection, when he received a prank call that he initially believed to be from general manager Mickey Loomis of the New Orleans Saints, a team initially believed to have interest in Sanders.

Sunday afternoon, the identity of one of the pranksters was confirmed – necessitating a surprise apology from yet another NFL team, which employs the caller’s father as its defensive coordinator.

The Atlanta Falcons released a statement Sunday, which read: “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. 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.

“We have also been in contact with the NFL and will continue to cooperate fully with any inquiries we may receive from the NFL league office.

“We are thoroughly reviewing all protocols, and updating if necessary, to help prevent an incident like this from happening again.”

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Jax Ulbrich released a statement of his own apologizing to Sanders, calling his actions “completely inexcusable, embarrassing and shameful.” Jax Ulbrich also claimed to have spoken on the phone with Sanders and thanked him for taking the call.

The NFL has been investigating the matter since the incident occurred and is in contact with the Falcons.

Sanders, son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, was drafted Saturday in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns.

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Jeff Ulbrich spent 10 seasons in the NFL as a linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers. He retired following the 2009 season and immediately moved into the coaching ranks. He was hired by the Falcons in January after spending most of last season as the New York Jets’ interim head coach.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shedeur Sanders prank call: Falcons, Jeff Ulbrich’s son apologize