What did Jax Ulbrich do? Atlanta Falcons’ defensive coordinator’s son issues apology to Shedeur Sanders over prank call

Jax Ulbrich, the son of Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, is issuing an apology to Shedeur Sanders for prank-calling him during the 2025 NFL draft.

In a post on Instagram and Instagram Stories on Sunday, April 27, he apologized for the "tremendous mistake" he made, revealing that he had called up the brand-new Cleveland Browns player that same day to ask for his forgiveness.

As reported by People Magazine, on Friday, April 25, i.e., day two of the draft, as the former Colorado Buffaloes player awaited news of his fate in the league, Jax prank-called him. In a now-viral video, Shedeur Sanders, 23, can be seen picking up the call from whom he presumes to be New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis.

“How you doing, man?” the caller asked. “Good,” Sanders responded. “Been waiting on you." "We're going to take you with our next pick, man, but you're going to have to wait a little bit longer, man. Sorry about that,” the caller said, prompting Shedeur to reply, “What does that mean?”

Jax Ulrich apologizes to Shedeur Sanders, thanks him for accepting his call: Read more

In his formal apology, Jax Ulbrich said:

"On Friday night I made a tremendous mistake. Shedeur, 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,” he continued. “Thank you for accepting my call earlier today. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me,” he concluded.

As reported by The Guardian, Shedeur Sanders was forced to wait until the fifth round, with the Cleveland Browns eventually drafting him with the 144th pick overall. According to Fox Sports, the player had been concerned about potential prank calls in the days leading up to the draft, prompting him to change his number to one that was only released to NFL executives.

In an official statement released by the Falcons on Sunday, April 27, it was revealed that Jax acquired the phone number when his dad left his iPad unlocked. At the time, he was visiting his parents' home and took the number "to later conduct a prank call."

The statement claims that Jeff Ulbrich was “unaware of the data exposure or any facets of the prank and was made unaware of the above only after the fact.”

"The Atlanta Falcons do not condone this behavior and send our sincere apologies to Shedeur Sanders and his family, who we have been in contact with to apologize to, as well as facilitate an apology directly from Jax to the Sanders family. We have also been in contact with the NFL and will continue to cooperate fully with any inquiries we may receive from the NFL league office. We are thoroughly reviewing all protocols, and updating if necessary, to help prevent an incident like this from happening again," the statement added.

Shortly after he got drafted, Shedeur Sanders sat down for a press call with reporters on Saturday, April 26, where he revealed that the prank call didn't have much of an effect on him:

"It didn't really have an impact on me," he told reporters, per the outlet, "because it was just like, I mean, okay, like I don't feed into negativity or I don't feed into that stuff." "I think, of course, it is childish. Of course, I feel like it was a childish act, but everybody does childish things here and there," he added.

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Fox News has reported that Shedeur Sanders was subjected to at least two prank calls as he lay waiting for the update on his fate in the league.

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