Ulbrich lauds Falcons' support after son's prank

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said he never felt as if his job was in jeopardy after the leak of Shedeur Sanders' phone number and subsequent prank call from Ulbrich's son during the NFL draft last month.

"In all honesty, I never went there, but I felt nothing but support from the organization in every single way -- from the people that worked the line in the cafeteria to [owner Arthur Blank] himself, all of them," Ulbrich said Wednesday. "I felt great support from him. It was one of the biggest reasons, in all honesty, that I came back here, because of the organization and what I think of this building."

Ulbrich spent six years with the Falcons from 2015 to 2020, ascending to interim defensive coordinator. He has been back in Atlanta since January, brought aboard after the firing of Jimmy Lake after just one season. Ulbrich previously was the interim head coach and defensive coordinator of the New York Jets.

Last month, Ulbrich couldn't have been more excited about the Falcons' defensive haul in the draft, including two pass rushers -- Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. -- in the first round. A few hours later, the mood certainly shifted when Ulbrich found out his 21-year-old son, Jax, had been the one to prank-call Sanders. According to a Falcons statement, Jax copied down Sanders' number from his father's open iPad during a visit home from college with the intent to carry out a prank.

The NFL fined the Falcons $250,000 and Ulbrich himself $100,000. The Falcons did not levy any punishment. Ulbrich said intrafamily discipline on Jax has yet to be decided.

"We're still working through that, but it was a challenge for our family," Ulbrich said. "But it's a challenge that everyone in our family's up for. And like I said, it's going to make my son better because of it. He will."

As Sanders continued to wait for his name to be called on Day 2 of the draft April 25, a video surfaced on social media of the former Colorado quarterback receiving a call from someone impersonating New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis. The caller told Sanders: "We're going to take you with our next pick, man, but you're going to have to wait a little bit longer, man. Sorry about that."

A confused Sanders asked the crowd gathered for his draft party, "What does that mean?"

Jax Ulbrich wrote in an Instagram post April 27 that what he did was "completely inexcusable, embarrassing, and shameful." He said Sanders had accepted his apology call earlier that day.

Sanders, who had been widely expected to be selected in the first round before the NFL draft started, had to wait until Day 3 of the draft for his slide to end, when the Cleveland Browns traded up to pick him in the fifth round.

Jeff Ulbrich had previously given a public apology at a news conference April 30, calling his son's actions "absolutely inexcusable" and his own not protecting confidential data as also "inexcusable."

Ulbrich said he was "shocked" when he found out the news. The NFL said the fines were for "failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club in advance of the NFL draft." Ulbrich said neither he nor the Falcons would be appealing the fine.

"I mean, it was a roller coaster of emotions," Ulbrich said of draft weekend. "It was great joy and elation, and so rare in the draft that things fall to you in that way. ... And then obviously we had some challenges from a football perspective and from a building perspective and, for me, from a personal perspective and for my family. But it's all the things that I'm convinced that make you stronger. I do. And I live by that and my family lives by that. And because of that, we'll be better off because of all this."