While the Atlanta Falcons initially fellt good about their 2025 NFL draft class, things changed when it was revealed that defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s son was responsible for the prank phone call on Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders that went viral during draft weekend.
The team will not punish Ulbrich for his role in the prank, but the NFL had another idea. On Wednesday, the league dropped the hammer on Ulbrich and the Falcons with two huge fines.
NFL fines Falcons, Jeff Ulbrich $350,000 combined
The Falcons were fined $250,000 for allowing Sanders’ number to be leaked, while Ulbrich was personally fined $100,000 for his role. The team won’t fire Ulbrich, but costing your boss a quarter of a million dollars before coaching in a single game is not a great look.
Ulbrich apologizes for role in data breach
First of all, I would like to publicly apologize to Shedeur and the Sanders family for what occurred. Second of all, I want to publicly apologize to Mr. Blank, Terry Fontenot, Raheem Morris and the entire Falcons organization. My actions – 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 NFL has taken action and I fully respect the punishment. 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. — Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich
How much does Jeff Ulbrich make per season?
According to Front Office Sports, Ulbrich is set to earn an estimated $1.6 million per year. That would mean Ulbrich will lose roughly 6.5 percent of his salary for the 2025 season. It’s not the end of the world for the Falcons defensive coordinator, but his return to Atlanta is not off to a great start.
Watch: Ulbrich addresses punishment in press conference
Atlanta #Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich speaks for the first time about his son prank-calling Shedeur Sanders during the draft pic.twitter.com/HOBHllqMVw
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) April 30, 2025
Falcons release statement on Sanders prank call
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. 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. — Atlanta Falcons team statement
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich apologizes for Shedeur Sanders prank call
While the Atlanta Falcons initially fellt good about their 2025 NFL draft class, things changed when it was revealed that defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s son was responsible for the prank phone call on Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders that went viral during draft weekend.
The team will not punish Ulbrich for his role in the prank, but the NFL had another idea. On Wednesday, the league dropped the hammer on Ulbrich and the Falcons with two huge fines.
NFL fines Falcons, Jeff Ulbrich $350,000 combined
The Falcons were fined $250,000 for allowing Sanders’ number to be leaked, while Ulbrich was personally fined $100,000 for his role. The team won’t fire Ulbrich, but costing your boss a quarter of a million dollars before coaching in a single game is not a great look.
Ulbrich apologizes for role in data breach
First of all, I would like to publicly apologize to Shedeur and the Sanders family for what occurred. Second of all, I want to publicly apologize to Mr. Blank, Terry Fontenot, Raheem Morris and the entire Falcons organization. My actions – 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 NFL has taken action and I fully respect the punishment. 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. — Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich
How much does Jeff Ulbrich make per season?
According to Front Office Sports, Ulbrich is set to earn an estimated $1.6 million per year. That would mean Ulbrich will lose roughly 6.5 percent of his salary for the 2025 season. It’s not the end of the world for the Falcons defensive coordinator, but his return to Atlanta is not off to a great start.
Watch: Ulbrich addresses punishment in press conference
Atlanta #Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich speaks for the first time about his son prank-calling Shedeur Sanders during the draft pic.twitter.com/HOBHllqMVw
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) April 30, 2025
Falcons release statement on Sanders prank call
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. 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. — Atlanta Falcons team statement
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich apologizes for Shedeur Sanders prank call
