The National Football League has fined the Atlanta Falcons and assistant coach Jeff Ulbrich after Ulbrich’s son admitted to prank-calling prospective quarterback Shedeur Sanders during the NFL draft.
An NFL spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News that the Falcons were fined $250,000 and Ulbrich was fined $100,000 “for failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club in advance of the NFL Draft.”
The Atlanta Falcons said that Jax Ulbrich, 21, found Sanders’ number on an open iPad belonging to his father and the team, and wrote down the number.
Sanders, who played for the University of Colorado, was expected to be drafted early on, but was not drafted until the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns.
shedAs CBS Sports reported, the prank call took place while Sanders was hosting a livestream event during the second day of the draft. When he picked up the phone, the person on the other end of the line claimed to be New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis. The person said that the Saints would be picking Sanders next.
Sanders said that he had been waiting for this. Then the person on the other end reversed course and said Sanders would “have to wait a little longer.”
Sanders said he and others at the event were left confused, and he began to suspect a prank.
“I don’t know what that was,” Sanders said on the livestream. “Nobody got this number, though. Nobody. This is a private number.”
The Atlanta Falcons said it facilitated an apology directly from Jax Ulbrich to Sanders. He also publicly apologized for his actions, calling them “completely inexcusable, embarrassing, and shameful.”
The Falcons said Jeff Ulbrich “was unaware of the data exposure or any facets of the prank” and only became aware of his son’s access to the iPad “after the fact.” A spokesperson said the team does not plan to pursue disciplinary actions against Jeff Ulbrich, CBS Colorado reported.
In a statement addressing the NFL fines, the team said, “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 team said. “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.”
CBS Sports reported that at least six players were prank-called during the draft. The other calls are under investigation, but were not believed to be related to the Sanders incident.
Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University’s Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News’ TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
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