Prank Caller Who Targeted Shedeur Sanders on NFL Draft Night Revealed
The person behind the prank call to college football star Shedeur Sanders during the NFL Draft has been identified as the son of an Atlanta Falcons assistant coach.
Sanders, son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, was a standout quarterback at the University of Colorado under his father’s leadership.
During the draft, Sanders believed he was being selected a day earlier after receiving a prank call from someone impersonating New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis.
Footage showed Sanders on the phone being told, “We’re going to take you with our next pick,” followed by, “But you’re going to have to wait a little bit longer man, sorry about that.”
A live stream captured Sanders’s confusion as he asked his entourage, “What does that mean?” before they realized it was a prank.
On Monday, the Atlanta Falcons confirmed the prank’s origins, stating that Jax Ulbrich, the 21-year-old son of defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, had copied Sanders’s confidential phone number from an open iPad during a visit to his parents’ home.
Although Jax provided the number, it was a friend who actually made the prank call while Jax sat nearby.
The Falcons stressed that Jeff Ulbrich had no knowledge of the prank or the data breach until after it happened.
The team issued a public apology to Shedeur Sanders and his family, and Jax Ulbrich also posted his own apology on social media, calling his actions “inexcusable, embarrassing and shameful.”
“I’m so sorry I took away from your moment. It was selfish and childish,” he wrote, adding that he personally apologized to Sanders afterward.
Sanders eventually became one of the most talked-about figures of the draft, being selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round with the 144th pick.
Speaking after his selection, Sanders said the prank didn’t faze him.
“I don’t feed into negativity,” he said. “Of course it was childish, but people do childish things sometimes.”
When Sanders finally received the real call from the Browns, it came via FaceTime, marking the official start of his NFL career.
