Shedeur Sanders prank call saga takes wild twist after stunning apology

When it began to surface that Shedeur Sanders was prank called by someone posing as Mickey Loomis, the New Orleans Saints general manager on Day 2 of the NFL Draft, it seemed unfathomable that the culprit would be connected to the NFL. 

However, as more news came out and the Sanders family released the videos of Shedeur receiving the cryptic and confusing phone call minutes before the Saints selected Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough with the eighth pick of the second round, it became clear that it was borderline impossible for the caller not to have close ties to the league. 

Then, on Sunday evening, the Atlanta Falcons dropped this bombshell of a statement, which was closely followed by a public social media apology for Jax Ulbrich, the son of Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. 

Shedeur Sanders’ prank caller, Jax Ulbrich, son of Atlanta Falcons DC, issues apology

In the video that the family released, Shedeur says, “nobody got this number, though” after hanging up with the prank caller. That’s because the phone Shedeur was using was a private one issued specifically for the NFL Draft. The number for that phone was sent to NFL personnel only in a league-wide email, which, as the Falcons detailed in their statement, Jax saw when he was at his father’s home. 

The NFL quickly launched an investigation into the incident, and this news came a day after Shedeur completed his free-fall down NFL Draft boards. The Colorado QB ultimately landed in the fifth round, where he was selected by the Cleveland Browns as the sixth quarterback in the class and second to Cleveland. The franchise had already selected Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel two rounds prior. 

From start to finish, the draft could not have played out worse for Sanders, and in some ways the prank call was simply a footnote to the disastrous slide. However, for other prospects, like Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, who was reportedly also pranked on the first night of the draft (it is not known if Jax was also responsible for that call), it can rob some of the joy of a major accomplishment. 

Now that the NFL knows who was responsible and how they got access to the phone number, the league needs to review its process to make sure incidents like this one don’t proliferate next year.

This is a terrible look for the league, for the Falcons, and for Ulbrich, who just finished up a disastrous tenure as the interim head coach of the New York Jets. Ulbrich shouldn't necessarily be held responsible for his son's actions or lose his job, but if Colorado fans and Shedeur Sanders supporters want more than just a public apology and a second phone call, this time without a fake identity, then it's hard to blame them.