It was supposed to be the most unforgettable weekend of his life. The cameras were rolling. The suits were crisp. And for Shedeur Sanders, draft night was set to crown a journey years in the making. But then his phone rang. On the other end: a fake promise. A prank call. And the NFL’s carefully scripted spectacle suddenly became a viral mess.

That call—impersonating Saints GM Mickey Loomis—was traced to the son of Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who’d used his father’s unlocked iPad to snatch Sanders’ new phone number. The league moved swiftly, handing down fines to Ulbrich and the Atlanta Falcons. But in the days since, a deeper question has emerged—one that flips the spotlight away from Atlanta and back onto the league itself.

If you’ve been following the Shedeur Sanders–Jax Ulbrich draft day prank-call saga, buckle up. New revelations from NFL analyst Mike Florio have stirred a fresh wave of controversy—this time aimed squarely at the league office. While Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich and his team were hit with a staggering $350,000 in fines, Florio’s report raises the possibility that the NFL may be deflecting blame for its own mishandling of sensitive information.

NFL sent the number twice, Florio reports

To recap: Jeff Ulbrich’s son, Jax, accessed a confidential document via his father’s iPad and used Shedeur Sanders’ contact information to orchestrate a prank call during one of the most emotionally charged moments of the young quarterback’s life. The NFL promptly fined the Falcons $250,000 and Ulbrich $100,000. But according to Florio, the league’s own negligence may have paved the way for the incident.

Writing for ProFootballTalk, Florio claimed the league created a misleading narrative by implying the Falcons had carelessly leaked the phone number. “The NFL has created the impression that the Falcons, not the league, gave Shedeur Sanders’s phone number to Ulbrich… That is not what occurred,” Florio stated.

Per his report, the NFL sent a confidential memo to all head coaches, offensive and defensive coordinators, and general managers on April 23—just one day before the draft. This memo included Sanders’ updated cell phone number. But here’s the twist: Florio says the league also sent a separate, non-confidential email containing the same sensitive information.

That second email reportedly read, “Sheadeur [sic] Sanders has informed the NFL Player Personnel Department that he has a new cell phone number beginning today.” It then listed the number—without any confidentiality label. So, who really let the privacy breach happen? That email went directly to coaches’ inboxes. Not team security. Not compliance officers. Not GMs. Just the individuals least trained in data security—and most prone to moments of human error.

Despite growing questions around the league’s own protocol failures, Jeff Ulbrich, who was also the NY Jets’ interim head coach, took full accountability.

350K fine to Ulbrich, the Falcons, and DC’s thoughts on it

“I want to publicly apologize to Shedeur and the Sanders family for what occurred,” he said during a press conference. “Second of all, I want to publicly apologize to Mr. Blank, Terry Fontenot, Raheem Morris, and the entire Falcons organization. My actions of not protecting confidential data were inexcusable. My son’s (Jax Ulbrich) actions were absolutely inexcusable. And for that, we are both deeply sorry.”

His son Jax also issued an emotional Instagram apology, asking Shedeur for forgiveness and acknowledging how he hijacked a moment that wasn’t his to touch. Jeff Ulbrich also made it clear he wouldn’t contest the fine, despite it reportedly totaling one-eighth of his annual salary. “We take full responsibility—my son and myself—and we will not be appealing the fine in any way,” he told reporters.

Public sympathy has largely rallied around Sanders, but now a parallel conversation is gaining traction: Did the NFL mishandle Sanders’ data? And if so, should a team like Atlanta be the one holding the bag for a systemic oversight? With $350,000 in penalties levied and reputations impacted, the question now is whether the NFL will issue a formal clarification—or simply let the Falcons continue shouldering the blame.

Either way, one thing is clear: this isn’t just about a prank call anymore. It’s about trust, transparency, and how the league protects its rising stars in moments that define their careers.