Jeff Ulbrich's son deserves ‘ass-whipping' for ‘cruel' Shedeur Sanders prank: Stephen A. Smith
Stephen A. Smith thinks Jax Ulbrich deserves an old-school punishment for being behind the prank call made to Schedeur Sanders during the 2025 NFL Draft.
Jax, the son of Falcons defensive coordinator and former Jets coach Jeff Ulbrich, revealed he was behind the call with an apology posted to Instagram on Sunday.
'To Jeff Ulbrich, I sincerely hope he whipped his kid's ass,' Smith said during 'First Take' on Monday. 'That's an ass whipping. That is a required ass whipping.'
The ESPN star did not put much blame on Jeff Ulbrich for his son's actions, but tried to stress to the 21-year-old the potential damage he could have done.
4 Stephen A. Smith let out an epic rant on Jax Ulbrich during 'First Take' on Monday.
Awful Announcing/X
'What if the Atlanta Falcons didn't believe him. Your dad could have lost his job!' Smith said. 'And because you want to prank somebody and be cruel and insensitive knowing what Shedeur must have been going through, you would be some privileged little brat that would do something like that. You should be ashamed of yourself. And you should have your ass whipped.'
The elder Ulbrich, who's entering his first season in Atlanta, has not been disciplined as the Falcons said in a statement that Jax 'unintentionally' came across the contact number for Sanders on an 'open iPad while visiting his parents' home.'
One of Jax Ulbrich's friends made the call to Sanders on Friday as the Colorado quarterback was in the middle of an unprecedented draft slide.
The caller posed as Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, insinuating that he was about to draft Sanders before the pranksters told the prospect he was going to have to wait longer, as all of it was captured on his draft livestream.
'It's been a long wait, man,' the person said. 'We're going to take you with our next pick, man, but you're going to have to wait a little bit longer, man. Sorry about that.'
4 Jax Ulbrich, the son of Falcons defensive coordinator and ex-Jets coach Jeff Ulbrich, apologized for his role in the prank call made to Shedeur Sanders during the draft.
Jax Ulbrich/Instagram
On Saturday, the group posted a video of them pranking Sanders. A day later, the NFL announced it was investigating the call. Shortly after, Jax Ulbrich posted his apology to Sanders — who was finally drafted the fifth round by the Browns (No. 144 overall).
'On Friday night I made a tremendous mistake,' the statement read. 'Sheduer [sic], what I did was completely inexcusable, embarrassing, and shameful. 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.'
4 Shedeur Sanders speaks on the main stage during the Southwestern Athletic Conference Media Day at the Sheraton Birmingham in 2022.
Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK
4 Jeff Ulbrich
AP
Smith didn't like any of it one bit.
'See, it's not criminal. But it's unethical, it's classless, it's amoral to some degree,' he said. 'And I'd like to see the face of that kid. Because sometimes you need to be embarrassed. That's what needs to happen to you.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
10 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs keeping his discussions with team about viral boat video private
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — New England Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs declined to share specifics about his conversations with coach Mike Vrabel and the team in the aftermath of a viral video that showed him passing what appeared to be a bag of pink crystals to women on a boat last month. 'Obviously, I want to be as candid with you guys as possible. I kind of have this thing where I don't talk about my personal life with people I don't know personally," Diggs said Tuesday following the team's final minicamp practice. "I'm pretty sure everybody here, men and women, are great people. But I kind of keep my personal life personal.' Tuesday marked the first time Diggs had spoken with reporters since videos were posted online of him chatting with three women before producing the substance. It wasn't clear what the substance was. An NFL spokesman said previously that the league would not comment, and Vrabel said the team would handle the matter internally. 'Obviously, it's a conversation that's happening internal. I can't really get into too much of the conversation about it," Diggs said. "The conversation I had with (Vrabel) and the people in the building is going to handled internal, in-house.' Diggs missed multiple optional team workouts this spring, but was present for the next one following the release of the video. He also was present for the Patriots' mandatory minicamp practices on Monday and Tuesday. Vrabel canceled a third practice originally scheduled for Wednesday. Diggs, 31, has attended multiple events this offseason with hip-hop star Cardi B — including the Met Gala and a Boston Celtics-New York Knicks playoff game. It has created an even bigger spotlight on the 10-year NFL veteran since he signed with the Patriots this offseason as a free agent, getting a three-year, $69 million deal that guarantees him $26 million. The four-time Pro Bowl selection posted six straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons for the Vikings and Bills before he was traded from Buffalo to Houston last spring. He had 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns in eight games for the Texans before he tore the ACL in his right knee in October. 'I'm grinding each and every day," he said. "Obviously, I can't do too much of the team stuff. But I'm eager to get out there, so whenever they do press the button I'm going to be ready. I'm trying, though." He did line up at times with the first-team offense on Tuesday as it installed new plays. But he wasn't allowed to participate in any full-speed drills, instead doing individual work with trainers. But it hasn't lessened his resolve to be cleared for full contact. "I'm confident. I've kind of took my rehab pretty serious," Diggs said. 'In beginning phases I wasn't as confident, but I was trying it out. ... When I came back here, I was in a mindset of I'm trying to get after and get going. But it's kind of like a dog on a leash, you want to hold it back a little bit, especially because I want to go. But it's the timing of everything and I'm looking forward to training camp.' ___
San Francisco Chronicle
10 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Vikings agree to 3-year contract with tight end Josh Oliver
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension with tight end Josh Oliver on Tuesday, enhancing their commitment to a key part of their running game. Oliver had career highs last season with 258 receiving yards and three touchdowns while expanding his involvement in the passing attack along with his role as a run blocker. Pro Football Focus analysts gave Oliver the best run-blocking grade among all NFL tight ends who played at least half of the blocking snaps in 2024. He also got the ninth-highest overall grade in the league at his position, after he was ranked fourth by PFF in 2023. The 28-year-old Oliver has entered his third season with Minnesota after signing as a free agent in 2023 following two years with Baltimore. The 6-foot-5, 259-pound Oliver was a third-round pick by Jacksonville in the 2019 draft out of San Jose State. ___
Associated Press
11 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Tar Heels players embrace new world as part of coach Bill Belichick's first college team
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Jordan Shipp remembers the conversation with his roommates after learning Bill Belichick was North Carolina's new coach. 'It was just like, 'That's the greatest coach of all time,'' the receiver recalled, ''and he's about to be a coaching us.'' Belichick's arrival has triggered plenty of change for the Tar Heels, who are making a big bet on the man who won six Super Bowls as an NFL head coach to spark their football program. No one knows that better than the players — both the holdovers and the transfer-portal arrivals — after months of Belichick overhauling the roster and building the foundation on his first college team. North Carolina players hadn't spoken to reporters since last year's team ended its season with a Fenway Bowl loss to UConn three days after Christmas, all of which came after Belichick had been hired as coach for the 2025 season. So Tuesday marked the first time UNC had made players available to reporters since then to discuss Belichick's arrival. That has meant being coached by someone with a long track record of success at the sport's highest level, along with getting a peek behind the terse and grumpy persona he was known for with the New England Patriots. Defensive back Will Hardy said the players are used to curiosity that comes with being coached by the NFL lifer now giving college a try. 'There's a lot of that, you get a lot of 'How is Coach Belichick? What's new? What's different?'' Hardy said. 'So I've rehearsed these questions a lot with family and friends.' Formative stages The school hired Belichick in December to elevate the program at a time when football's role as the revenue driver in college sports has never been bigger. He and general manager Michael Lombardi have described their goal as building a pro-style model at the college level. It's been a key pitch as the 73-year-old Belichick made his first foray onto the recruiting trail, as well as the volume of players transferring in and out of the program. Belichick's first on-field work in Chapel Hill came during spring workouts, lodged between portal windows in December and April. 'Look, these are great kids to work with, they really are,' Belichick said Tuesday. 'We've had great buy-in. There have really been no problems at all. These guys are on time, they're early, they work hard, they put in the work in the weight room, out on the field. They spend time on their own, whether it's doing extra training or coming over and watching film and that type of thing. 'They've made a ton of improvement and these guys are a lot better than they were when we started in January, on every level. So it's exciting to see where that's going to take us.' Enticing opportunity For the players, part of the adjustment had been the reality that their coach was winning Super Bowls with quarterback Tom Brady while they were growing up and watching on TV. Intimidating much? 'I mean, maybe at first when you see him, all you see is the Super Bowls that he's won,' said offensive lineman Christo Kelly, a Holy Cross transfer and Belichick's first portal commitment. 'But when you get here and you see the way he cares, you see the way that he approaches the game, you see how hard he works, there's no question why he has the success that he has. 'The attention to detail, the emphasis on fundamentals, and really just kind of creating competition for the guys, that's what's getting built here. Guys are embracing it. He treats everybody with tremendous respect and it's been great.' Defensive back Thad Dixon had met Belichick before when he was at Washington, playing under Belichick's son Steve — now the Tar Heels' defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. The two shared a few conversations then, and he jumped at the chance to head east. 'I really just wanted the opportunity just to learn from somebody like that, that had did it in the league for so long,' Dixon said. Behind the curtain Yet not every surprise has been about X's and O's. Sometimes it's simply when Belichick has dropped the all-business facade to expose an unexpectedly humorous side. 'I feel like that's the biggest curveball, you're coming to the first meeting and you're expecting it to be serious, 100% locked in,' said Shipp, who played 12 games for UNC last season. 'He comes in and he introduces himself and then he busts a joke. That's the second thing he said.' Hardy pointed that vibe, too. 'There are times when he'll just crack a joke out of nowhere,' he said. 'And just him being kind of monotone sometimes will make those jokes so funny.' Still, Hardy noted it's mingled amid the work, such as film sessions when 'there's no hiding' when Belichick highlights a mistake. UNC opens the season on Labor Day against TCU in a college version of Monday Night Football. 'I've loved having 1-on-1 conversations with him,' Hardy said. 'It's cool to see and meet him personally, because you grow up and see him on TV and everything. And he's just a completely different coach and guy when you get to be around him all day. It's cool.' ___ AP college football: and
