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 accused of planning to shoot up Atlanta airport preparing to use insanity defense, documents reveal
The man accused of planning a mass shooting at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will attempt to use an insanity defense, new court documents reveal.
Billy Joe Cagle, 49, appeared in federal court on Thursday morning for a pretrial conference hearing to discuss the logistics of future trial dates.
In court documents requesting a competency evaluation filed earlier this week, Cagle’s attorneys say they plan to use an insanity defense. Cagle has already pleaded not guilty to some charges.
Atlanta police arrested Cagle in the Atlanta airport’s South Terminal on Oct. 20, after his family alerted the Cartersville Police Department that he threatened to “shoot up” the airport on a FaceTime call while driving, abruptly ending the call after saying, “I’m at the airport, and I’m gonna go rat-a-tat-tat,” prosecutors alleged.
Cagle arrived at the airport in a Chevrolet pickup truck that was parked outside the doors to the terminal. When police went to the vehicle, they found an AR-15 with 27 rounds of ammunition. FBI investigators are working to find out how Cagle obtained the weapon.
After receiving the alert with Cagle’s photo and description, two officers found the Cartersville man walking inside the terminal. Atlanta Police Chief Darren Schierbaum said investigators believe he was scouting the area before he planned to return to his truck and collect his weapon.
Authorities estimate that more than 20 people could have been killed if officers hadn’t been alerted in time.
Cagle is facing federal charges of attempted violence at an international airport, interstate communications containing threats, and possession of a firearm as a felon. He has remained in custody without bond.
“Mr. Cagle was suffering from a mental, psychological, and/or psychiatric condition that would render Mr. Cagle not guilty of the above counts by reason of insanity,” the new court filing reads.
The filing also describes Cagle’s mental condition as “episodic, with periods of stability and instability.”
In the upcoming weeks, Cagle will be evaluated over his mental state during the alleged incident as well as his current mental state to determine whether he is fit to stand trial.
Defense Attorney Preston Halliburton says that Cagle remains in good spirits and has been cooperating with the legal process.
The difficulty of an insanity defense
It has become harder to succeed with an insanity defense since a federal jury found John Hinckley Jr. not guilty by reason of insanity for shooting President Ronald Reagan in 1981. The verdict stoked public skepticism about insanity pleas, leading to tougher federal and state requirements to reach acquittals.
According to Christopher Slobogin, professor of law and psychiatry at Vanderbilt University, insanity defenses are successful is about a quarter of the cases that reach trial. The defenses are much more common in pre-trial agreements, with nearly seven in 10 insanity acquittals occuring in plea deals.
Some states, including Idaho, Kansas, and Montana, have abolished the use of the defense.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Atlanta, GA
Seahawks Reveal Uniform Combination For Week 14 at Atlanta
The Seahawks will travel to Atlanta to take on the 4-8 Falcons at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Week 14. The team will wear their white jerseys and pants combination as they aim to win their 10th game of the season.
The all-white uniform combination is one of the team’s least commonly worn road uniform combinations as they have only been worn 21 times since the team debuted them during the 2012 season. Sunday will be the fourth time since the beginning of the 2024 season that these uniforms will be seen in action as they were worn twice last season and once during this season so far. The Seahawks wore this set of uniforms in the Week 6 win at Jacksonville in October.
For more information on the Seahawks’ upcoming matchup at the Falcons, click here.
Atlanta, GA
Walmart and Wing launches speedy drone delivery service at 6 metro Atlanta stores
Live in metro Atlanta? Your next delivery from Walmart may be coming from the sky.
The retailer and automated drone company Wing is launching a new delivery system in metro Atlanta, just in time for the busy holiday shopping period.
Products eligible for the drone delivery include groceries, gifts, household goods, and over-the-counter medicine, the company announced.
Eligible customers can place orders through the Wing app and confirm the delivery location on their property. Once the package is loaded, the drones fly at around 60 mph about 150 feet off the ground. When the drone arrives at the drop-off location, it lowers the package to the ground without any assistance.
The companies estimate that flight delivery time will be about five minutes or less on average.
“Atlanta is a powerhouse in aviation, and we’re bringing the same spirit of speed and efficiency to thousands of Walmart customers across the Metro just in time for the busiest season of the year,” said Heather Rivera, Chief Business Officer at Wing. “This launch is a critical next step in our significant expansion, turning drone delivery from novelty to norm as residents make drone delivery part of their everyday shopping.”
Starting on Wednesday, the service will be available from six Walmart stores around the area:
- Walmart Supercenter #575, 12182 GA-92, Woodstock, GA 30188
- Walmart Supercenter #2475, 1436 Dogwood Dr SE, Conyers, GA 30013
- Walmart Supercenter #3403, 3615 Charles Hardy Pkwy, Dallas, GA 30157
- Walmart Supercenter #618, 4166 Jimmy Lee Smith Pkwy, Hiram, GA 30141
- Walmart Supercenter #3201, 135 Willow Ln, McDonough, GA 30253
- Walmart Supercenter #5252, 4221 Atlanta Hwy, Loganville, GA 30052
Walmart and Wing first launched the partnership in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The company is also set to expand its drone deliveries to Houston, Tampa, Orlando, and Charlotte.
You can check your eligibility for the service and download the app at wing.com/walmart.
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