Shedeur Sanders sat there, waiting for the call that could change everything. And then, his phone rang. It said it was the Saints‘ GM, Mickey Loomis. His heart probably jumped. But it wasn’t real. It was a prank. Later, it was reported that Jeff Ulbrich’s son, Jax, along with his friend, played with his dream like it was a joke. Nevertheless, the next day, he finally got the real call from the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round at pick 144th overall. But what stings is how that fake call even happened by Arthur Blank’s franchise’s defensive coordinator, Ulbrich’s son.

The reports came out that Jeff Ulbrich’s son, Jax, saw Sanders’ number left open on his dad’s iPad. As a result, he jotted it down and used it later to make that prank call. That’s how it all went down. And now, the league’s handling of private info is under the spotlight. Rightfully so. But don’t you think Arthur Black’s Atlanta Falcons are quite responsible for it?

During a new episode of NFL on NBC, Mike Florio and Chris Simms discussed the same. We all know that the NFL has fined DC Ulbrich $100,000, and the Blank’s team with just $250,000. Hence, talking about the same, Florio highlighted, “When you consider the relative worth of the franchise and relative worth of (Ulbrich) percentages are off, man. Like it’s a tiny, little tiny, little skinny needle prick on the buttocks of the Falcons.”

Continuing his stance, the analyst added, “$100,000 is going to hurt Jeff Albrich. That is going to leave a mark. That is a major penalty for an assistant coach. And I know, Oh, they make millions. I don’t know how much he makes…..A $100,000 is a lot to give up if you’re making a million.” In fact, as per Florio, the NFL tried to spin it like Sanders’ number was only sent to a “confidential list,” and that it was up to the team what they did with it after. But the analyst wasn’t buying it. He called out how the league quietly feeds this kind of narrative to certain reporters, ones who won’t question a thing and basically act like PR for the shield. He’s seen it happen over 25 years and knows exactly how it works.

Now, back to the Falcons. Florio couldn’t wrap his head around why in the world they’d hand that number to a defensive coach like Jeff Ulbrich, especially when they clearly weren’t drafting Shedeur Sanders. It made zero football sense, as he added, “Why would the Falcons decide to give defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich the phone number of a guy that they aren’t going to draft unless they’re trolling us? They’re not going to draft a quarterback again. I don’t care what round. Shedeur Sanders was not joining, what would have literally become a three-ring circus in Atlanta with Michael Penix, Kirk Cousins, and Shedeur Sanders…..I mean, just common sense tells us there’s no effing way they’re giving Jeff Ulbrich Shadur Sanders’ phone number.”

Hence, there was no reason to give Ulbrich that number, but Arthur Blank’s team gave it. And the result is, Ulbrich has to pay a fine in terms of percentage more than the Falcons themselves. And of course, we can’t forget the fact that to save themselves, the Falcons reportedly disclosed the role of Ulbrich’s 21-year-old son, saying they accept the discipline from the league.

Arthur Blank’s Falcons saved themselves while taking both Jeff Ulbrich & the NFL’s side?

The NFL came down hard on the Falcons this week, hitting them with a $250,000 fine, but harder slapping defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich with a $100,000 penalty. During this, Arthur Blank’s Falcons didn’t waste time. They immediately admitted the mistake, apologized to Shedeur Sanders and his family, and made it clear that Coach Ulbrich had no clue what was going on. However, later, according to the reports, the team had promised to “facilitate an apology directly from Jax to the Sanders family.”

In addition, they’ve promised to tighten things up and are already working with the Ulbrich family on some community service efforts. But as Florio raised the question, there is no way that the Falcons should have given Shedeur Sanders’ phone number to their DC. But they did, and perhaps, they are the most responsible ones for committing such mistakes. Nevertheless, the NFL found Ulbrich and his son more responsible, and the coach sent an apology to them.

He said, “First of all, I would like to publicly apologize to Shedeur and the Sanders family for what occurred. Second of all, I want to publicly apologize to Mr. (Arthur) 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 that we are better than this. Again, I am deeply sorry for our actions.”

On the other hand, Jax even owned up to it publicly. He knows that it was a moment that crossed the line, especially for a young player like Shedeur Sanders, who’s carrying his dad’s legacy and chasing his dream with the Browns. Now, the league’s still looking into other prank calls that popped up during the draft, such as in the cases of Tyler Warren, Kyle McCord, Mason Graham, and Chase Lundt.