The Atlanta Falcons have issued an apology to quarterback Shedeur Sanders after he was prank called during the NFL Draft by the son of their defensive co-ordinator.
The incident involved Jax Ulbrich, the 21-year-old son of Jeff Ulbrich, who pretended to be New Orleans Saints' general manager Mickey Loomis during the call.
Sanders, who was eventually selected by the Cleveland Browns as the 144th overall pick, received a call falsely claiming the Saints would draft him.
The Falcons organisation has condemned the behaviour and apologised to Sanders and his family.
The Atlanta Falcons have issued an apology to quarterback Shedeur Sanders after he was prank called during the NFL Draft by the son of their defensive co-ordinator
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Video footage on social media showed Sanders taking the call from someone claiming to be Mickey Loomis.
The caller told Sanders the Saints would make him their next pick before saying he would "have to wait a little bit longer".
According to the Falcons, Jax Ulbrich "unintentionally came across the draft contact phone number for Shedeur Sanders off an open iPad while visiting his parent's home".
He then wrote down the number to later conduct the prank call.
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.@ShedeurSanders is a Cleveland Brown@Browns | #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/RSgFvyd3zU
— NFL (@NFL) April 26, 2025
Jeff Ulbrich was reportedly unaware of both the data exposure and the prank until after it occurred.
In a statement, the Falcons said: "The Atlanta Falcons do not condone this behaviour and send our sincere apologies to Shedeur Sanders and his family, who we have been in contact with to apologise to."
The organisation added they would "facilitate an apology directly from Jax to the Sanders family".
The Falcons also committed to reviewing their protocols following the incident.
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"We are thoroughly reviewing all protocols, and updating if necessary, to help prevent an incident like this from happening again," the statement concluded.
Jax Ulbrich also made a personal apology on social media, describing his actions as a "tremendous mistake" that was "completely inexcusable, embarrassing, and shameful".
He added: "I'm so sorry I took away from your moment, it was selfish and childish."
Sanders appeared to take the incident in his stride.
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"It didn't really have an impact on me," Sanders said when asked about the prank call.
"I think of course it was a childish act, but everybody does childish things here and there."
Sanders, who had been tipped to be one of the first picks, became the sixth quarterback selected in the draft and the second by the Browns.
NFL news: Shedeur Sanders ended up joining the Cleveland Browns as the sixth pick of the fifth round and 144th overall
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His father Deion Sanders began his storied NFL career with the Falcons, with the NFL Hall of Famer coachING his son at Colorado.
Deion Sanders had a notable career playing cornerback in defence as well as serving as a kick returner and wide receiver on offence.
He also played in the World Series for the Atlanta Braves in 1992.
