NFL fines Falcons $250,000 for breach that led to prank call on Sanders

Ulbrich apologized in the statement but would not reveal how the leak happened.

“First of all, I would like to publicly apologize to Shedeur and the Sanders family for what occurred,” Ulbrich said. “Second of all, I want to publicly apologize to Mr. (Arthur) Blank, Terry Fontenot, Raheem Morris and the entire Falcons organization. My actions ... of not protecting confidential data were inexcusable. My son’s actions were absolutely inexcusable and for that, we are both deeply sorry.“

The Falcons became embroiled in one of the biggest stories of the draft, as Jax Ulbrich, the 21-year-old son of the team’s new defensive coordinator, made a prank phone call to one of the top prospects, Shedeur Sanders, became a national story line.

The team issued an apology for Jax, detailing that he obtained the contact information for Sanders through his father’s open iPad. In the prank call, Jax pretended to be New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and said that the Saints planned to take Sanders, who was projected as a first-round pick and was sliding down the draft, with their next pick.

Ulbrich did not face disciplinary measures from the team.

The NFL immediately started to investigate the matter.

“The memo sent from NFL Player Personnel was addressed to GMs, Head Coaches and Player Personnel Directors and marked confidential,” McCarthy said. “It’s up to the club who receives memos from the NFL Player Personnel. The league did not provide prospects with new phones as has been reported separately.”

The Sanders’ prank call appears to be the only one Jax Ulbrich was involved in. Several other players claimed they received prank calls.

“The prank calls to the other players around the league were not related to this matter,” McCarthy said.

It is the third time that the Falcons and its employees have been fined by the league over the last 17 months.

In December of 2023, the Falcons were fined $75,000 and former coach Arthur Smith $25,000 for violating the NFL injury-reporting policy before the club’s Week 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In June of 2024, the Falcons were cited by the league office for tampering in the signings of quarterback Kirk Cousins, wide receiver Darnell Mooney and tight end Charlie Woerner. The Falcons were fined $250,000, general manager Terry Fontenot was fined $50,000 and they lost their fifth-round pick in the recently completed 2025 draft.

Now, these fines, which involved Sanders, the son of team Ring of Honor member Deion Sanders.

Last season, there was some concern if Cousins was injured and continued to play. The Falcons contended his benching was performance related. After the season, Cousin said he was injured in the game against the Saints on Nov. 20, 2024.

“We appreciate the NFL’s swift and thorough review of last week’s data exposure and the event that transpired due to it. We were proactive in addressing the situation internally and cooperated fully with the league throughout the process, and accept the discipline levied to Coach Jeff Ulbrich and the organization,” the Falcons said in a team statement.

“We are confident in our security policies and practices and will continue to emphasize adherence to them with our staff whether on or off premises. Additionally, the Ulbrich family is working with the organization to participate in community service initiatives in relation to last week’s matter.“

Later in his statement, Ulbrich elaborated on the punishment.

“The NFL has taken action and I full respect the punishment,” Ulbrich said. “We take full responsibility, both my son and myself, and we will not be appealing the fine in any way. Going forward, I promise my son and I will work hard to demonstrate that we are better than this. Again, I am deeply sorry for our actions.”