Shedeur Sanders found himself at the center of an NFL Draft prank and a public apology after Jax Ulbrich, son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, admitted to impersonating New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis.
The prank unfolded during the 2025 NFL Draft when Sanders, awaiting his selection, received a call from someone posing as Loomis.
“It’s been a long wait, man,” the caller told Sanders. “We’re gonna take you with our next pick, man, but you’re gonna have to wait a little bit longer, man. Sorry about that.”
The bizarre moment, captured on Deion Sanders Jr.’s YouTube channel, left Sanders visibly confused as he asked, “What does that mean?” after the caller abruptly hung up.
An NFL official said the league is looking into how Shedeur Sanders’ private number was leaked and then used for this prank call: pic.twitter.com/h5P1CIIQlI
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 27, 2025
On Sunday night, April 27, Jax Ulbrich came clean on Instagram.
“On Friday night I made a tremendous mistake,” he began. “Sheduer (sic), what I did was completely inexcusable, embarrassing, and shameful.”
Ulbrich continued, “I’m so sorry I took away from your moment, it was selfish and childish. I could never imagine getting ready to celebrate one of the greatest moments of your life and I made a terrible mistake and messed with that moment. Thank you for accepting my call earlier today, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
The Atlanta Falcons quickly distanced themselves from the incident, issuing a statement that read, “We do not condone this behavior… we have facilitated a direct apology from Jax to the Sanders family.”
Statement from the Atlanta #Falcons concerning the prank call of Shedeur Sanders during the #NFL Draft: pic.twitter.com/U6gHQglKVn
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) April 27, 2025
Shedeur Sanders Reacts To Prank Call
Despite the distraction, Sanders remained composed. Before learning the caller’s identity, he brushed off the prank, saying, “It didn’t really have an impact on me… I don’t feed into negativity.”
He added, “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.”
Meanwhile, the NFL has launched an investigation into how Sanders’ private draft phone number, provided by Boost Mobile, ended up in the wrong hands.
Ultimately, Sanders was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round with the No. 144 pick, a slide from earlier projections but a fresh start nonetheless.
