After the NFL announced that it would be looking into the origin of the prank phone call that Shedeur Sanders received amidst his fall in the 2025 NFL Draft, the identity of the prankster was revealed to be Jax Ulbrich, the son of the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive coordinator, Jeff Ulbrich.
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Seeing as the play caller failed to properly secure private information that had been reserved for the use of exclusive personnel, a hefty fine of $250,000 was imposed on the Falcons. Meanwhile, Ulbrich received a personal fine of $100,000, being forced to literally pay for his perceived failures as a parent.
Given the lowbrow nature of Jax’s prank, few, if any, have shown sympathy for either Ulbrichs or the Falcons. During his most recent appearance on ESPN’s First Take, former Pittsburgh Steeler, Ryan Clark, suggested that the NFL made the right decision in choosing to make an example out of the DC’s son.
“This has to be done by the NFL. When you look at not just all of the prank calls, but now a coach’s son is calling an NFL hopeful… With the intention of being mean… When you’re in charge of that sort of sensitive information, it’s your job to keep it confidential… When you have this sort of information and you don’t protect it with your life, it not impacts your career but it also impacts many other people.”
Having highlighted the embarrassment that it caused both the Sanders and the Ulbrich families, Clark insisted that the 21-year-old’s actions showed no regard for the feelings or situations of others, something that could be alarming for a college student of that age.
Given the deceptive nature of the prank itself, the former pro bowler found it to be nothing but a cruel and indulgent act at the end of the day.
“There is no respect for other humans. There is no understanding or compassion for what they are going through… When you listen to what he said to him, it was totally an intent to play on what he was going through at the time… This is a man that’s dealing with a ton, all of the cameras are on him. He’s trying to have poise, and you build him up to break him down.”
However, some are arguing that the Falcons as an organization should have gone unpunished. Among those claiming that the defensive coordinator should have shouldered the blame entirely is the long-tenured Chris “Mad Dog” Russo.
In describing that situation as a “disaster with the kiddo,” the commentator found himself questioning the NFL’s decision to ticket the Falcons.
“Ulbrich had the number, are the Falcons not supposed to give it to Ulbrich? Of course he has to have the number, he’s a defensive coordinator. I know the NFL is trying to spread the blame around, but I don’t understand how it’s Arthur Blank’s fault, that Ulbrich’s kid did a bad thing.”
Unfortunately, Stephen A. Smith wasn’t inherently surprised by the incident. In light of Russo’s comments, ESPN’s flagship analysts observed that,
“We’ve got a lot of ignorant 21 year olds out here, and there’s a whole bunch of them. What you don’t normally see is one having complete disregard for their own parent… His son had no regard for him.”
In light of the scandal, Ulbrich has done his best to issue his apologies to both Shedeur Sanders and his employer. During an official statement, the defamed coordinator said that he fully respected the punishment while atoning for the shortcomings of both himself and his son.
“My actions of not protecting confidential data were inexcusable. My son’s actions were absolutely inexcusable. For that, we are both deeply sorry.”
The Falcons have given no indication that they will be looking to punish Ulbrich further themselves, however, that’s not to say that they have fully ruled out the possibility either. Members of the NFL’s various front offices can expect to sit through an additional session of cybersecurity training in the coming seasons.
