NFL Fines Falcons, Coach Ulbrich $350,000 Over Draft Day Prank Call

The NFL fined the Atlanta Falcons $250,000 and their defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich $100,000 after Ulbrich's son, Jax, prank-called rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders during the NFL Draft by pretending to be a team general manager. The prank was made possible when Jax discovered Sanders' private number on his father's iPad, raising concerns over the leak of confidential player information. Both the Falcons and Jax Ulbrich issued public apologies, while the team stated they would cooperate fully with the league's investigation. The NFL cited the fines as a response to the Falcons' failure to prevent the disclosure of sensitive information distributed in advance of the draft. Initially, the Falcons indicated they would not discipline Ulbrich, but the league decided to impose penalties regardless. The incident drew significant attention due to Sanders' high profile as a draft prospect and the public nature of the prank.