Atlanta Falcons Coach Fined $100,000 After His Son Prank Called QB Shedeur Sanders During NFL Draft

Aaron M. Sprecher via AP

The Atlanta Falcons coach whose son prank-called Shedeur Sanders during the NFL Draft was fined $100,000 by the league on Wednesday.

On the second day of the draft, Sanders — the son of NFL legend Deion Sanders — had yet to be drafted despite analysts predicting that he would be among the top players selected. During a live stream, Sanders received a call from someone pretending to be from an NFL team. Not long into the call, however, the quarterback realized it was simply a prank. He later revealed that the phone was purchased solely for the draft and that only NFL personnel had the number — meaning a coach or team was somehow connected to the call.

Not long after, the Atlanta Falcons published a statement confirming that the organization was the source of the leak. The prank call was made by Jax Ulbrich — the 21-year-old son of defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. Both the team and the son issued public apologies for the incident.

Although it was initially reported that the defensive coordinator would not be punished as a result of his son’s actions, league officials have decided otherwise. On Wednesday, ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported that the NFL fined Ulbrich $100,000. The Falcons were also handed a $250,000 fine for “failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club in advance of the NFL Draft.”

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