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
Man shot at Vine City park, police say
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Police are investigating a shooting near an Atlanta park on Sunday night.
Police say a man was shot at 616 Joseph E. Boone Boulevard, which is Rodney Cook Sr. Park in the Vine City neighborhood.
The man’s condition is currently unknown.
This is a developing story. Return to Atlanta News First for updates.
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Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Falcons’ Young Star Expected to Face NFL Suspension
The Atlanta Falcons are looking to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017, and they’ll be relying on a new coaching staff to help them get there. But Kevin Stefanski is no rookie; he’s a two-time NFL Coach of the Year, only now he’ll be working with an entirely different group of personnel after coaching in Cleveland since 2020.
In addition to a new coach, the Falcons may have a different starting quarterback as Michael Penix Jr. continues to rehab last season’s torn ACL. He’ll also be competing with Tua Tagovailoa. Together, the Falcons believe they can compete for a playoff spot in the NFC South, but to do so, they’ll need all the help they can get. Unfortunately, the Falcons may not have everyone on hand to start the season.
According to The Athletic‘s Falcons insider Josh Kendall, the NFL is “likely” to suspend edge rusher James Pearce Jr.
Pearce faces three felony charges after an incident with his former girlfriend, WNBA player Rickea Jackson. Pearce’s charges are for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing the police, and resisting arrest with violence.
“Atlanta now appears to be waiting on the NFL to decide on Pearce. Under the league’s personal conduct policy, commissioner Roger Goodell has wide latitude to impose discipline regardless of the outcome of the criminal case. The league is likely to suspend Pearce. Steelers defensive back Cam Sutton was suspended eight games in 2024 after a domestic violence incident that began as a felony charge but was eventually reduced to a misdemeanor. Goodell could also place Pearce on the commissioner’s exempt list, which serves as an indefinite suspension while the league gathers more information.”
The Athletic’s Josh Kendall on James Pearce
Pearce is coming off an excellent rookie season that saw him record a team-high 10.5 sacks while starting three of his 17 appearances. The 26th overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft looks like he’s poised to be a star. Yet, now the 22-year-old may have to wait to start his second NFL season. The question is how long?
If Pearce is forced to miss time, the Falcons will be counting on others, such as fellow 2025 first-round pick Jalon Walker, to make a bigger impact. The 22-year-old Walker recorded 5.5 sacks, making nine sacks in 15 appearances.
5 Possible Brendan Sorsby NFL Supplemental Draft Landing Spots for Late July
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta sees great value in Swain at No. 23,
I’ve also heard that Atlanta sees great value in Swain at No. 23, but the Hawks have been signaling for some time that they are prepared (and perhaps even prefer) to trade their second pick in the first round after No. 8 for future draft capital. It sounds as though Atlanta will invite external trade interest for that pick until it is actually on the clock to make the selection Tuesday night.
marcstein.substack.com
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