Son of Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich Apologizes for Shedeur Sanders Prank Call

A culprit has been identified.
Then-New York Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich on Oct 27, 2024.
Then-New York Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich on Oct 27, 2024. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Shortly after the NFL announced that it would be investigating the prank call made to Shedeur Sanders during the 2025 draft, the son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has come forward and apologized.

Jax Ulbrich, 21, posted his mea culpa on Instagram on Sunday afternoon.


"On Friday night, I made a tremendous mistake," Ulbrich wrote. "Sheduer [sic], what I did was completely inexcusable, embarrassing, and shameful. I'm so sorry I took away from your moment, it was selfish and childish. I could never imagine getting ready to celebrate one of the greatest moments of your life and I made a terrible mistake and messed with that moment. Thank you for accepting my call earlier today, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

Read that full statement below:

The Falcons then quickly released a statement of their own after Ulbrich posted on his own account.

Shedeur, who slid to the fifth round despite early projections as a first-round pick, received a call from someone pretending to be a general manager during day two of the draft. It was a cruel prank, especially for Sanders, who waited much longer than originally anticipated for his phone to ring.

Before the official apology, there was talk circulating online that Jax Ulbrich may have been a part of the call to Shedeur. His confession now confirms that.

Penn State tight end Tyler Warren and an unnamed third prospect were said to have received prank calls during the draft, as well. At this juncture, it is not clear who orchestrated those.


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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.