NBAFeature
Spurs' Wembanyama captures first career DPOY
Victor Wembanyama captures his first NBA Defensive Player of the Year award!
ESPN News1 min read
Sports
As the draft approaches, prank call season returns
TL;DR
The 2025 draft featured a notable prank call to quarterback Shedeur Sanders, made by the son of Falcons coach Jeff Ulbrich. The NFL fined the Falcons $250,000 and Ulbrich $100,000 for the incident, which stemmed from a leaked contact number sent to nearly 2,000 people.
Key points
- Shedeur Sanders received a prank call during the 2025 draft
- Jax Ulbrich, son of Falcons coach, made the prank call
- NFL fined Falcons $250,000 and Ulbrich $100,000
- Sanders's number was sent to nearly 2,000 people
- The email containing the number was not marked confidential
Mentioned in this story
Shedeur SandersJax UlbrichJeff UlbrichAbdul CarterAshton Jeanty
Atlanta FalconsNew York GiantsLas Vegas RaidersJacksonville Jaguars
The 2025 draft will be remembered for a few significant things. One will be the prolonged slide of quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Another will be the news of the prank call made to Sanders during the second night of the draft.
The league investigated. The NFL learned that the son of Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich made the call. The Falcons explained that Jax Ulbrich "unintentionally came across the draft contact phone number" for Sanders on an “open iPad” while Jax Ulbrich was visiting his parents’ home.
The NFL fined the team $250,000 and Ulbrich $100,000. The league also pushed the idea that Sanders's number was sent to a limited number of people per team in a confidential email, and that (basically) the Falcons shared the number with Ulbrich at their own risk.
That was not accurate. The number was contained in an email that went to roughly 2,000 people, via the same distribution list used for the daily transaction report. It was sent directly by the league to Ulbrich and many others in an email that was not marked "confidential."
Sanders isn't the only player who received a prank call last year. Defensive end Abdul Carter got a prank call that he'd be drafted by the Jaguars, who had traded up to No. 2, before Carter was picked by the Giants at No. 3. Running back to the Cowboys, after he was picked by the Raiders.
Q&A
What happened during the prank call to Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 draft?
Shedeur Sanders received a prank call during the draft, which was made by Jax Ulbrich, the son of Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
Why did the NFL fine the Falcons and Jeff Ulbrich?
The NFL fined the Falcons $250,000 and Jeff Ulbrich $100,000 for the prank call incident, which involved the unauthorized sharing of Sanders's contact information.
How many people received Shedeur Sanders's phone number from the NFL?
Approximately 2,000 people received Shedeur Sanders's phone number in an email from the NFL that was not marked as confidential.
