Stephen A. Smith Says Jeff Ulbrich’s Son Deserves a Much-Needed “A*s Whipping” for Pulling a “Cruel” Prank on Shedeur Sanders

The 2025 NFL Draft saw record ratings on Day 2 and Day 3, and a big part of that was thanks to Shedeur Sanders’ epic slide. Once a top-five projected pick, Sanders dropped all the way to Day 3 in the fifth round, where the Cleveland Browns, who’d already drafted a QB in the third, took him with the 144th overall pick. And as if that wasn’t already tough enough for Sanders, he was prank-called long before he finally got selected.

To avoid any chance of pranks on draft day, Shedeur had secured a phone number known only to executives from all 32 NFL teams. It was a smart move. He just didn’t anticipate a defensive coordinator leaving an iPad with the QB’s number open, allowing his callous 21-year-old son to steal it and use it for a prank call. Which, honestly, was probably a fair assumption.

But that’s exactly what happened. Newly hired Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich left his iPad unattended, and his malicious son Jax took the number from there and used it to call Sanders in the second round right as the New Orleans Saints—who were seen as a likely Shedeur landing spot—were making their pick.

Jax’s friend pretended to be Saints GM Mickey Loomis, raising Sanders’ hopes only to dash them while laughing in a completely disgusting and heartless move.

Stephen A. Smith has a solution for young Jax.

“See, it’s not criminal. But it’s unethical, it’s classless, it’s amoral to some degree. And I’d like to see the face of that kid. Because sometimes you need to be embarrassed. That’s what needs to happen to you. Now, in my opinion, this kid, I sincerely hope, to Jeff Ulbrich, I sincerely hope he whipped his kid’s a**. That’s an a** whippin! That is a required a** whipping.”

Jax has since suspended his social media accounts. Smith then went on to say that not only was it a terrible thing to do to Shedeur, but it really put his own father, Ulbrich, at risk as well.

“So your dad is the defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. You go into his laptop computer and find a number for Shedeur Sanders and you prank call him. First of all, it was cruel and classless for Shedeur. It jeopardized your dad. What if the Atlanta Falcons didn’t believe that it was just you? What if they had believed it was just him? … What if the NFL didn’t believe him? Your dad could have lost his job!”

Ulbrich has been around the NFL for his entire adult life. He played linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers from 2000 to 2009, going into coaching the year after retiring. By 2020, he had risen to interim defensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons. He then took the same job for the New York Jets from 2021 to 2024, adding interim head coach to his duties later on last year.

We doubt corporal punishment will be administered. But talk about a kid who has no regard for anyone but himself. Jax posted the video for likes on social media, but all he did was turn himself into a pariah while possibly also costing his father the trust of the organization he just joined this spring.

Jeff Ulbrich seems like a guy who lives and breathes football, and he won’t be happy that his airhead son desecrated one of the most special moments in Shedeur Sanders’ life—and it might not just be Sanders that lil’ Ulbrich pulled that crap on either.

Apparently, those awful kids who pranked Shedeur Sanders also might have pranked Penn State TE Tyler Warren in the same way when the Jets were on the clock at No. 7 overall. Warren’s camp believes it was the same number/area code as the one that called Sanders. Now-Philadelphia Eagles CB Cooper DeJean was similarly pranked last year. Now, that’s a worrying trend emerging over the last two years.

Based on all the negative character assassinations attempted against Sanders over the last few weeks, one would have expected a temper tantrum from him in the wake of something as devastating and embarrassing as that prank call.

However, in another display of his actual character, he didn’t cuss out the caller or the people around him or cuss or cry or scream. He simply stayed calm, asked for a ball, and started tossing the pigskin around to stay cool.

Unfortunately, Sanders won’t have the pleasure of trying to get his lick back on Ulbrich’s Falcons this year. His Cleveland Browns will be playing Atlanta and the rest of the NFC South in 2026, however.

Warren, who ended up going No. 14 overall, will get a chance to face the Falcons and seek some revenge this year. His Indianapolis Colts drew the Falcons as their inter-conference opponent for 2025, based on division placement.