ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons said Sunday that defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s son was responsible for a prank call made to Cleveland Browns draft pick Shedeur Sanders.
The Falcons released a statement saying 21-year-old Jax Ulbrich “unintentionally came across the draft contact phone number for Shedeur Sanders off an open iPad while visiting his parent’s home and wrote the number down to later conduct a prank call.”
The Falcons said Jeff Ulbrich was unaware of the data exposure or the prank until after the fact.
Sanders, a standout quarterback from Colorado, is the son of Buffaloes coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, who began his NFL career with the Falcons.
Shedeur Sanders was perhaps the draft’s biggest story as he had to wait until the fifth round on Saturday before being drafted by the Browns. He received a prank call on Friday night, the second day of the draft, while waiting.
In the call, Jax Ulbrich identified himself as New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and told Sanders he had been drafted by the Saints before ending the call.
“It didn’t really have no impact on me because it was just like, OK. I don’t feed into negativity or I don’t feed into that stuff,” Sanders said Saturday after being drafted by Cleveland. “… This is what it is. I think, of course, it’s childish, of course I feel like it was a childish act, but everybody do childish things here and there.”
The Falcons apologized to Sanders and his family and said they were facilitating an apology directly from Jax Ulbrich to the family.
“We are thoroughly reviewing all protocols, and updating if necessary, to help prevent an incident like this from happening again,” the Falcons said.
The statement from the team said: “The Atlanta Falcons do not condone this behavior and send our sincere apologies to Shedeur Sanders and his family.”
The Falcons said they have been in contact with the NFL “and will continue to cooperate fully with any inquiries we may receive from the NFL league office.”
Jeff Ulbrich celebrated the Falcons’ emphasis on defense in the NFL draft. The Falcons selected two edge rushers, Georgia’s Jalon Walker and Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr., in the first round. Their first four draft picks were defensive players.
Ulbrich was 3-9 as interim coach of the New York Jets last season before being hired to return to Atlanta, where he previously worked as an assistant.
AP Sports Writer Noah Trister in Washington contributed to this report.
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