NFL hands down discipline on Shedeur Sanders prank call

The NFL has disciplined those connected to the Shedeur Sanders prank call during the NFL Draft.

The league fined the Atlanta Falcons $250,000 and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich $100,000 after Ulbrich’s son’s prank call made to the former Colorado quarterback.

Ulbrich’s 21-year-old son apologized in an Instagram post Sunday.

The Falcons said in a statement Sunday that Jax Ulbrich wrote down the number from his father’s open iPad while visiting his parents’ home “to later conduct a prank call.”

The NFL said, per ESPN, the fines were for “failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club in advance of the NFL Draft.”

The Falcons said in a statement, “We appreciate the NFL’s swift and thorough review of last week’s data exposure and the event that transpired due to it. We were proactive in addressing the situation internally and cooperated fully with the league throughout the process, and accept the discipline levied to Coach Jeff Ulbrich and the organization. We are confident in our security policies and practices and will continue to emphasize adherence to them with our staff whether on or off premises.”

Sanders — the son of NFL legend Deion Sanders — was widely projected to be a first-round pick in last week’s NFL draft, but was not selected until the Cleveland Browns took him in the fifth round on Saturday. His slide became the biggest story surrounding the draft, with the prank call — video of which was widely distributed on social media — an indelible part of a narrative.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.