NFL Fines Falcons, Jeff Ulbrich For Draft Day Prank Call

The NFL has fined the Atlanta Falcons and Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich for a prank call that occurred during the 2025 NFL Draft, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The fines stem from a prank call made by Ulbrich’s son Jax to QB Shedeur Sanders, who experienced an unprecedented draft day slide from a potential first round pick all the way to pick 144 overall in the fifth round. The league fined the Falcons $250,000 and Ulbrich $100,000 for failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information.

According to the Falcons, Jax reportedly came across the information via an unlocked iPad owned by the senior Ulbrich during a visit to his parents’ home, according to a statement relased by the Falcons over the weekend. The younger Ulbrich noted the information and retained it to make the prank call during the draft.

The Falcons and Jeff Ulbrich disavowed knowledge of the call in the statement.

“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,” the statement said, “as well as facilitate an apology directly from Jax to the Sanders family.”

Following the fines, the Falcons indicated that they welcomed the investigation and accepted the results.

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

Meanwhile, Jax Ulbrich apologized to Sanders publicly, with indications that he had also done so privately, calling the prank call a “mistake.”

“What I did was completely inexcusable, embarrassing, and shameful,” Jax shared on in an Instagram story directed towards Sanders. “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 find it in your heart to forgive me.”

Sanders seemed to have brushed off the call in his introductory press conference.

“It didn’t really have an impact on me because it was just like, I mean, okay, like I don’t feed into negativity or I don’t feed into that stuff,” Sanders said on Sunday. “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.”

This is the second year in a row the Falcons have been investigated by the league. In 2024, the team was investigated for anti-tampering violations in their free agency acquisition of Kirk Cousins.

The NFL is continuing to investigate other instances of prank calls that occurred during draft weekend, but none impact the Falcons or Sanders.