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Marc Raimondi
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich apologized publicly Wednesday for the leak of Shedeur Sanders‘ personal cellphone quantity and his son utilizing it to prank name the quarterback throughout the NFL draft.
“My actions of not defending confidential knowledge have been inexcusable,” Ulbrich mentioned at a information convention on the Falcons’ facility. “My son’s actions have been completely inexcusable, and for that we’re each deeply sorry.”
Earlier within the day, the NFL fined the Falcons $250,000 and Ulbrich himself $100,000 in response to the state of affairs.
Ulbrich’s 21-year-old son admitted to the prank name and apologized in an Instagram put up Sunday. The Falcons mentioned in a press release Sunday that Jax Ulbrich wrote down the quantity from his father’s open iPad whereas visiting his dad and mom’ dwelling “to later conduct a prank name.”
The NFL mentioned the fines have been for “failing to forestall the disclosure of confidential info distributed to the membership prematurely of the NFL draft.” Ulbrich mentioned neither he nor the Falcons can be interesting the nice.
“I promise my son and I’ll work exhausting to display we’re higher than this,” Ulbrich mentioned.
Ulbrich mentioned he was not conscious of what occurred till after the draft and he was “not completely happy and shocked” when he was knowledgeable. Ulbrich mentioned he then made the Falcons conscious of the state of affairs after which labored to contact Sanders and his household. Shedeur and his father Deion, who’s a legendary former Falcons participant, have been “amazingly gracious — extra gracious than they wanted to be in a second like this,” Ulbrich mentioned.
The Falcons wrote in a press release that, “the Ulbrich household is working with the group to take part in group service initiatives in relation to final week’s matter.”
The NFL nonetheless is wanting into the opposite prank calls made to gamers throughout the draft, nevertheless it says they’re unrelated to the decision made to Sanders.
As Sanders continued to attend for his title to be referred to as on Day 2 of the draft Friday, a video surfaced on social media of the previous Colorado quarterback receiving a name from somebody impersonating New Orleans Saints basic supervisor Mickey Loomis.
The caller instructed Sanders: “We will take you with our subsequent decide, man, however you are going to have to attend a bit of bit longer, man. Sorry about that.”
A confused Sanders requested the gang gathered for his draft celebration, “What does that imply?”
Jax Ulbrich wrote in his put up that what he did was “fully inexcusable, embarrassing, and shameful.” He mentioned Sanders accepted his name earlier.
“I am so sorry I took away out of your second, it was egocentric and infantile,” Jax Ulbrich mentioned in his Instagram put up. “I may by no means think about on the point of have fun one of many biggest moments of your life and I made a horrible mistake and messed with that second. Thanks for accepting my name earlier right now, I hope yow will discover it in your coronary heart to forgive me.”
Sanders, who had been extensively anticipated to be chosen within the first spherical earlier than the NFL draft began, needed to wait till Day 3 of the draft for his slide to finish when the Cleveland Browns traded as much as decide him within the fifth spherical.
In a convention name with Cleveland-area reporters after he was drafted by the Browns, Sanders mentioned he wasn’t bothered by the prank.
“It did not actually have an effect on me,” Sanders mentioned, “as a result of it was similar to, I imply, OK, like I do not feed into negativity, or I do not feed into that stuff. You have seen on Deion [Sanders] Jr.’s YouTube video my response to it, I do not — it’s what it’s. I believe, in fact, it’s infantile. After all, I really feel prefer it was a infantile act, however all people does infantile issues right here and there.”
Ulbrich mentioned the previous few days have been “troublesome” for him, however he took full duty for the phone-number leak and his son’s actions.
“It is one thing that I introduced upon myself and my son introduced upon himself, so it is a kind of issues the place we bought to take this on the chin and we completely are doing that and taking full duty and I am hopeful we’ll develop and be higher due to it,” Ulbrich mentioned.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter contributed to this report.
