During the 2025 NFL Draft, the biggest storyline was the unexpected fall of Shedeur Sanders to the fifth round — a drop that surprised even the most pessimistic analysts, despite all the issues that surrounded the quarterback’s pre-draft process.
Sanders received a phone call claiming he had been selected by the New Orleans Saints with the 40th overall pick — a moment that turned out to be a cruel prank. The call came from Jax Ulbrich, the son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
The incident sparked outrage across the NFL, leading to fines for both the Falcons organization and Ulbrich himself. Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith didn’t hold back, expressing his strong disapproval and calling the situation disgraceful.
Stephen A. Smith Agrees With NFL Fines Following Jeff Ulbrich’s Son Prank on Shedeur Sanders
The cruel prank call Sanders received on draft day didn’t go unnoticed by the NFL. The phone numbers used to contact prospects on draft day are confidential and accessible only to the 32 NFL teams. So when a fake call was made, the league immediately launched an investigation.
It was eventually revealed that Jax Ulbrich, the son of Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, was behind the call — first telling Sanders that he was being selected by the Saints, then joking that he’d have to wait a little longer.
Smith weighed in on the situation during ESPN’s First Take on Wednesday, April 30. He stated that the fines handed out were justified given the embarrassment caused.
.@stephenasmith on the NFL fining the Falcons $250,000 and DC Jeff Ulbrich $100,000 after his son prank called Shedeur Sanders during the draft. pic.twitter.com/VJBaXPihyu
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 30, 2025
“I feel bad for Jeff Ulbrich from the standpoint that it’s a $100,000 fine, and obviously that’s some money. The man ain’t walking around making tens of millions of dollars or anything like that. But the other side to this is an incredible embarrassment,” Smith said.
According to Front Office Sports, Jeff Ulbrich’s salary for the 2025 season is $1.6 million, meaning the $100,000 fine he received represents 6% of his annual income.
“That 21-year-old kid, Jax, should have had his a** whipped, number one,” Smtih continued. “Number two, I mean, it’s like I wanted to refrain from putting him on screen like I told you the other day. I didn’t know when you were talking about it the other day, Lewis, that the dude had put it out on social media. I had no idea.”
The video in question captures the exact moment Ulbrich, along with friends, calls Sanders to falsely announce his draft selection — a video that was posted by Jax himself, making it easy to identify the person responsible.
“I knew he knew the story, but I’d never seen the video. So I’m like, this idiot actually went out there and did it. He filmed it. He had himself filmed doing it. I mean, no regard for Shedeur. No regard for his father. No regard for any kind of decency or any kind of decorum. It’s really, really sad. I think all of these fines are absolutely, positively appropriate.”
Smith further explained that, from his perspective, the call wasn’t just a prank — it clearly carried a malicious tone given the context and the final comment made by the young man, telling Sanders he’d have to wait a little longer.
Both the Atlanta Falcons and coach Ulbrich issued public apologies for the phone number leak and the entire situation. The organization stated that no disciplinary action will be taken against the coach.
