The Atlanta Falcons are paying a steep value for a coach’s son’s prank gone unsuitable. The NFL has fined the group $250,000 and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich $100,000 following an inside investigation into the now-infamous draft day prank name made to Shedeur Sanders, league insiders reported Wednesday.
The penalties stem from the Falcons’ failure to safeguard confidential data offered by the league forward of the 2025 NFL Draft. That information included Sanders’ personal contact quantity, which Ulbrich’s 21-year-old son Jax accessed by way of his father’s iPad and used to prank name Sanders whereas impersonating the New Orleans Saints GM.
The Falcons rapidly issued an announcement accepting the league’s self-discipline.
“We recognize the NFL’s swift and thorough evaluate of final week’s information publicity and the occasion that transpired on account of it,” the workforce mentioned. “We have been proactive in addressing the state of affairs internally and cooperated absolutely with the league all through the method, and settle for the self-discipline levied to Coach Ulbrich and the group. We’re assured in our safety insurance policies and practices and can proceed to emphasise adherence to them with our workers whether or not on or off premises. Moreover, the Ulbrich household is working with the group to take part in neighborhood service initiatives in relation to final week’s matter.”
The prank added an pointless layer of frustration to an already tough draft expertise for Sanders, who fell to the fifth spherical earlier than being chosen by the Cleveland Browns—far decrease than many had projected. Whereas Jax Ulbrich has since apologized each privately and publicly to Sanders, the NFL made it clear that accountability extends past private apologies.
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