Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Coach’s Emotional Apology After NFL Punishment For Shedeur Sanders Prank Call
Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich gave an emotional apology to former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion Sanders and the Sander family after his son Jax prank-called Sanders during the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The NFL has issued considerable fines to the Atlanta Falcons and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich for the call, that went viral.
“First of all, I’d like to publicly apologize to Shedeur and the Sanders family for what occurred,” Ulbrich said on Wednesday. “Second of all, I want to publicly apologize to Mr. 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 NFL has taken action, and I fully respect the punishment. We take full responsibility, 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 we are better than this. Again, I’m deeply sorry for our actions,” Ulbrich continued.
Jeff’s son, Jax Ulbrich, found Sanders’ private draft phone number on his father’s iPad and facilitated another individual to call Sanders while posing as New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis. They told Sanders he was being drafted in the second round by the team, before delivering the prank that actually, the quarterback would “have to wait.”
Shedeur was understandably confused and ultimately the Saints ultimately selected a different quarterback with the 40th pick. Shedeur fell to the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round.
The NFL fined the Falcons $250,000 and Jeff Ulbrich $100,000 for “failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club in advance of the NFL Draft.”
Ulbrich said he and his son Jax had met with the Sanders family in person since the prank call, and that they were “amazingly gracious, more gracious than they needed to be in a moment like this.”
MORE: Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes Send Eight Players (And Counting) To NFL
MORE:Why New Orleans Saints Drafted Tyler Shough Over Shedeur Sanders
MORE: New York Giants Pass On Shedeur Sanders Due To Private Workout Preparation
Amid an unprecedented draft fall, Shedeur was able to shake it off. Once predicted as the best quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft, Shedeur showed poise and humor as NFL teams passed on drafting him.
“It didn’t really have an impact on me,” Shedeur said in a conference call with Cleveland-area reporters. “It was just like, I mean, OK, like I don’t feed into negativity, or I don’t feed into that stuff. You’ve seen on Deion (Sanders) Jr.’s YouTube video my reaction to it, I don’t — it is what it is. 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.”
Jax also publicly apologized to Shedeur on Instagram.
“On Friday night I made a tremendous mistake,” Jax wrote. “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. Thank you for accepting my call earlier today, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
Atlanta, GA
Braves News: NBP pieces falling into place, slow market, more
Well the NBP posted players all seem to be settled now, with Imai and Okamoto having signed with an MLB club and Takahashi returning to the NBP. Those players do not seem to have sparked movement in the overall market, either in free agency or in trades, at least so far, as this offseason continues to be glacial. Hopefully things pick up a bit as we get more separation from the holidays. The Braves still seem to be motivated to make a big addition, but this front office has shown that the right deal has to be there for them to pull the trigger.
Atlanta, GA
Police investigating stabbing on Moreland Avenue in SE Atlanta
ATLANTA – A man was stabbed Saturday in southeast Atlanta, according to police.
What we know:
According to Atlanta police, officers responded to the 400 block of Moreland Avenue SE to reports of a male who had been stabbed. Investigators believe a female and male were involved in a dispute that resulted in the stabbing.
What we don’t know:
Police did not identify the male or female.
No word yet on charges.
The Source: Information provided by the Atlanta Police Department.
Atlanta, GA
Business damaged as 500 teens swarm Atlantic Station
A large police presence responded to Atlantic Station on Saturday
ATLANTA – Atlanta police say nearly 500 teenagers caused a massive disturbance at Atlantic Station Saturday night, launching fireworks into crowds and eventually drawing real gunfire outside the district.
Atlantic Station chaos
The backstory:
Atlanta police originally responded to the shopping center after 7 p.m. following reports of shots fired. While investigators quickly determined the sounds were actually fireworks being ignited by a large crowd of “unruly” juveniles, the situation turned more dangerous as the crowd was dispersed.
“It can escalate from firecrackers to now its guns to life being taken. That’s something we don’t want,” said John Williams, who was visiting the area.
As officers cleared the mall, a group of teenagers allegedly began firing actual guns near Spring Street NW and 17th Street.
Shooting outside Atlantic Station
What they’re saying:
The gunfire sent patrons at Nan Thai Fine Dining ducking for cover.
“Definitely about 30 shots,” said Jedi Niyomkul, the restaurant’s general manager. “I’m making sure everyone is on the ground because we do have a lot of glass.”
Niyomkul said the restaurant was hit by at least one bullet. He expressed frustration that the crowd was pushed out of the mall but not adequately monitored once they crossed into the surrounding city streets.
“Once they got them across the bridge, there was no patrol over on this side to make sure that they dispersed,” Niyomkul said. “Literally at 17th and Spring, right there, 100 to 150 kids just sitting all around the corner, doing absolutely nothing, just looking for trouble.”
Atlantic Station curfew
Dig deeper:
The disturbance occurred despite Atlantic Station’s strict codes of conduct. The district enforces a 3 p.m. curfew for anyone under 18, requiring them to be with a parent or guardian. Additionally, no one under 21 is allowed on the property after 9 p.m.
Atlanta City Council member Michael Julian Bond said the city must find a more consistent way to manage large groups of youth.
“We again manage this population policy-wise, more than any other segment than our society, so we all got to step up year-round in how we manage that population,” Bond said.
The Source: Information in this article came from Atlanta police and FOX 5’s Annie Mapp speaking with Jedi Niyomkul and Michael Julian Bond.
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