Shedeur Sanders victim of draft-day prank by son of Falcons DC

As if waiting for his name to be called wasn’t hard enough for Shedeur Sanders during the NFL draft, he was also the victim of an unfortunate prank.

The former University of Colorado quarterback expected to hear his name called in the first round on Thursday, but fell all the way to the fifth before the Cleveland Browns selected him.

Sanders, the son of NFL Hall of Famer and CU head coach Deion Sanders, had cameras following him and his family throughout the draft to document the weekend. But with that came a moment that made its way around social media, as Shedeur received a prank phone call from someone impersonating New Orleans Saints general manager Micky Loomis, saying that they would be drafting the QB.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL launched an investigation into the situation on Sunday.

The investigation found that one of the culprits was 21-year-old Jax Ulbrich, the son of the Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.

The Falcons will not take any action against their coordinator, Schefter added.

“…Jeff Ulbrich was unaware of the data exposure or any facets of the prank,” the team said in a statement. “The Atlanta Falcons do not condone this behaviour and send our sincere apologies to Shedeur Sanders and his family.”

Sanders was not the only athlete to receive a prank call on draft night. Colts tight end Tyler Warren, the 14th-overall pick, received a similar call saying he would be selected by the Jets at No. 7. Kyle McCord, a sixth-round pick by Philadelphia, reportedly also received a similar phone call.

Fortunately for Sanders, he was not too bothered by the prank. “It didn’t really have an impact on me,” he said Saturday. “… It is what it is. I think of course it is childish. Of course, I feel like it was a childish act, but everybody does childish things here and there.”

In a statement, the younger Ulbrich expressed his remorse over the situation.

“I’m so sorry I took away from your moment,” he wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday. “Thank you for accepting my call earlier today, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”

According to the Falcons, Ulbrich came across Sanders’ phone number off an open iPad at his parents’ home. The team is exploring all options to ensure this does not happen again.

“We are thoroughly reviewing all protocols, and updating if necessary, to help prevent an incident like this from happening again,” the Falcons said.