Imagine getting a FaceTime from someone claiming to be your future boss, only to realize it’s a 21-year-old with a prankster’s grin and zero chill, quipped Mike Florio, setting the stage for a draft-day disaster that left the Atlanta Falcons $350K lighter and the league scrambling like a QB under pressure. The 2025 NFL Draft wasn’t just about rising stars—it was about falling protocols. Enter Shedeur Sanders, the Colorado QB whose draft-night live stream turned into a ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm ‘- level cringefest.
When Jeff Ulbrich’s son, Jax, swiped his number off an open iPad and prank-called him posing as Mickey Loomis. “It traces directly back to one of the NFL’s teams,” Florio deadpanned. “Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich had an open iPad. His 21-year-old son Jax saw Shedeur Sanders’ phone number, wrote it down, and made the prank call. One thing led to another—and the c*** hit the fan.”
The fallout? “The Falcons are fined $250,000. Ulbrich himself is fined $100,000 for failing to protect confidential information,” Florio reported, as social media erupted faster than a Travis Kelce end-zone celebration. The NFL’s punishment was swift, but the damage was done—“Social media was ablaze with theories, and enough breadcrumbs led back to Jax Ulbrich.” For Sanders, projected as a top-three pick but sliding to the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round, the prank was a gut punch. Yet, true to his Prime Time pedigree, he shrugged it off: “Childish,” he muttered, channeling his dad’s icy cool.
Now, Roger Goodell’s sweating harder than a rookie at Combine drills. The prank exposed the NFL’s info-security game as weaker than a prevent defense with 0:02 left. “This is need-to-know information that went to people who didn’t need to know it,” Florio roasted. “The NFL shared Shedeur Sanders’ number with every coach, assistant, GM, and personnel exec—way too many people.” It’s like Logan Roy sneering, ‘You’re not serious people,’ but replace ‘Royco’ with ‘NFL front offices.’
Security fumble exposes bigger trust crisis than Sanders Prank
The league’s rep took a hit sharper than a Micah Parsons edge rush. “How much other confidential information is falling into the hands of people who shouldn’t have it?” Florio pressed. “A 21-year-old sees an open iPad… what else could they see? Who’s injured? Who’s getting the ball? That’s something the NFL needs to worry about.” Even Falcons chairman Rich McKay’s Competition Committee clout couldn’t dodge the stink—“They’ve had questionable punishments before—like the fake crowd noise scandal or the Kirk Cousins tampering case.”
But here’s the kicker: “Better yet—do the calls on FaceTime. Then it’s obvious someone’s being pranked the second they pick up,” Florio suggested, dropping a solution smoother than a Patrick Mahomes no-look pass. The NFL’s response? Memos, tighter protocols, and maybe fewer iPads lying around like cursed artifacts. “Only three people per team should have that phone number: owner, GM, and coach,” Florio argued. “You could argue just one person needs it.”
Meanwhile, Shedeur’s riding the wave like a Pro Bowl alternate. His $4.6M rookie deal with the Browns might pale next to Cam Ward’s $48M bag, but his NIL empire—$6.5M from Nike, Beats, and Mercedes—is straight-up ‘Ballers’ vibes. Fans are snatching up his merch like free Super Bowl tickets, boycotting NFL gear to back the underdog. “At the end of the day, the punishment is $350,000 total for the Falcons and Jeff Ulbrich,” Florio sighed, “for allowing the number to get out, resulting in one of the most notorious prank calls the NFL has ever seen.”
But here’s the real tea: The NFL’s draft-night fumble isn’t just about pranks—it’s about trust. When a kid with dad’s iPad can hijack a franchise’s future, it’s time to reboot the playbook. As ‘Game of Thrones’’ Littlefinger once schemed, ‘Chaos isn’t a pit. Chaos is a ladder.’ For Goodell, that ladder better lead to a firewall—stat.
Fly, Eagles Fly? Nah. This season, it’s all about ‘Bye, iPads, Bye.’
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