Falcons, DC Jeff Ulbrich hit with six-figure fines from NFL over Shedeur Sanders prank call

A prank call turned out to be very costly for the Atlanta Falcons and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. All jokes aside, the NFL announced that it has fined the team $250,000 and Ulbrich $100,000 "for failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club in advance of the NFL Draft."

While this is a significant blow for the team and Ulbrich, there was no appeal from either in the process.

 "We appreciate the NFL's swift and thorough review of last week's data exposure and the event that transpired due to it," the Falcons said in a statement. "We were proactive in addressing the situation internally and cooperated fully with the league throughout the process, and accepted 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. Additionally, the Ulbrich family is working with the organization to participate in community service initiatives in relation to last week's matter."

This is a bad look for the league all the way around. 

For Shedeur Sanders to receive a prank call on a phone provided by the league is concerning. The Falcons and Ulbrich allowed an "open iPad" to be seen by his 21-year-old son, Jax, who took down Sanders's phone number with the specific intent of making a prank call.

There is a bigger issue with the importance of safeguarding confidential information. Especially since confidential information about injuries, game plans, etc. can become very valuable in the context of gambling. This is the kind of stuff that should be distributed on a need-to-know basis only. Ulbrich did not need to know it.

ESPN's Adam Schefter said Tuesday this was an unconventional situation. Sanders decided not to hire an agent before the draft and opted to have guidance from his father, Deion, to deal with correspondence between NFL teams. Schefter points out this was not normal circumstances and having Shedeur's number in a league-wide memo wasn't a smart move.

Yet again, if Sanders had an agent, there is no room for error with an agent being in communication with trusted sources.

Sanders eventually was taken with the No. 144 pick in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns. It's safe to say that the punishment will be worse in the future. The NFL can also tighten up a bit to prevent this from happening again.