NFL fine Falcons and coach £262,000 for prank call
The Atlanta Falcons have been fined $250,000 (£187,000) by the NFL after Jax Ulbrich - the son of their defensive co-ordinator Jeff Ulbrich - prank called quarterback Shedeur Sanders during the NFL Draft.Jeff Ulbrich has also personally been fined $100,000 (£75,000) for the incident, which the Falcons had said involved 21-year-old Jax Ulbrich getting Sanders' number from an iPad when visiting his parents' home and writing it down to "later conduct a prank call".In video footage on social media, Sanders can be heard taking a call from someone purporting to be the New Orleans Saints' general manager Mickey Loomis.The caller tells Sanders the Saints will make him their next pick before saying that he is going to "have to wait a little bit longer".Sanders - whose father Deion began his storied NFL career with the Falcons - ended up being selected by the Cleveland Browns as the sixth pick of the fifth round, and 144th overall.
The Falcons, who issued an apology to Sanders along with Jax Ulbrich, had said Jeff Ulbrich was "unaware of the data exposure or any facets of the prank".The punishment for the incident is reported to be, external "for failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club in advance of the NFL Draft." "We were proactive in addressing the situation internally and cooperated fully with the league throughout the process, and accept the discipline levied to coach Jeff Ulbrich and the organisation," said a Falcons statement."We are confident in our security policies and practices and will continue to emphasise adherence to them with our staff whether on or off premises. "Additionally, the Ulbrich family is working with the organisation to participate in community service initiatives in relation to last week's matter."Sanders had called the prank call "childish" but said that "it didn't really have an impact on me".
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Aaron Rodgers drops shock marriage bombshell on first training day with Pittsburgh Steelers
has confirmed that he is married following weeks of speculation. The quarterback made the revelation on the first day of practice with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The NFL veteran confirmed that he has a new wife as well as a new team, revealing to members of the media that he tied the knot 'a couple of months' ago. When questioned about the glaring band circling his finger, Rodgers admitted, 'Yes, it's a wedding ring.' The four-time MVP's bombshell announcement comes after weeks of conjecture that he had discreetly exchanged his vows with his mystery girlfriend, 'Brittani.' Rodgers, who was previously engaged to actress Shailene Woodley, first sparked rumors last month when he was spotted at the Kentucky Derby with a band on his ring finger. The accessory, spotted by eagle-eyed fans, led many to theorize that, while deliberating his NFL future, Rodgers had tied the knot. True to form, Rodgers kept his nuptials under wraps until addressing reports at training camp Tuesday. Even close friend AJ Hawk told Pat McAfee that the signal caller hadn't let slip whether he had gotten hitched during their trip to Churchill Downs in May. The identity of Rodgers's new wife remains a mystery. However, he did reveal back in December that he had found love. He told McAfee and the rest of the crew that he had a new girlfriend named Brittani, though he did not go into any further details on who she is or how they met. Rodgers was discussing buying Christmas presents for loved ones when he casually dropped in that he was dating again. 'I was a little bit worried because there was one package left for my girlfriend Brittani that hadn't showed up yet, so I'd been waiting,' he said on ESPN's daily sports talk show. 'It showed up today so everything is great now.' After laughing off a joke from a member of the crew that he was dating Britney Spears, Rodgers confirmed that his girlfriend's name is the version spelt with an 'i'. He revealed that his new love interest is not on any social-media channels after joking that she probably doesn't watch McAfee's show despite being a fan of the ESPN host. Rodgers had been agonizing over his NFL future for months after being released by the New York Jets in March, with the option of retirement not entirely off the table. But now, the quarterback is officially set to play his 21st season in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers after passing his physical and signing a one-year deal with the franchise at the weekend. He made it official after arriving at the Steelers facilities to sign his contract, which is worth $13.65million, including $10million guaranteed, according to sports journalist Adam Schefter. The deal is said to have a maximum value of $19.5m, including $5.85m worth of playtime and team performance incentives.
The Herald Scotland
4 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Mike Tomlin and Aaron Rodgers are desperate to win big again
And the same can be said for Mike Tomlin. Yep, Rodgers and Tomlin are joined at the hip for this mission to roll back the clock and pursue championship glory - and are also two desperate reasons why this has a chance. Hey, they both need each other like to try. Go ahead, fire away. It's fair game. Rodgers is 41 and hasn't won a playoff game since the 2020 campaign, way back in his Green Bay Packers life. Tomlin has never had a losing season in 18 years but hasn't sniffed a playoff victory since 2016. As they stand now, doubted and embattled, embattled and doubted, the setbacks both endured in recent years have provided quite the common denominator to fuel a bond. Having once sat atop the NFL mountaintop, it has undoubtedly eaten at Rodgers and Tomlin that over so many years they have been unable reach that height again. Rodgers won a Super Bowl before he earned any of his four NFL MVP awards and that's been that. Tomlin took the Steelers to two Super Bowls in his first four seasons, winning the crown in his second year, and that's been that. It's been a minute since the 2010 season when, ironically, Rodgers led the Pack over the Steelers in Super Bowl 45. Back then, who knew (besides Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes) that it would be the last time we'd see either of these alpha males on a Super Bowl stage. So, look at them now. Together they can dream of chasing confetti again. Of course, it's a huge dream that will take much more than determined synergy from the two most crucial pieces for any NFL team - the quarterback and head coach. And that's even before considering a treacherous AFC field that includes Mahomes and Andy Reid, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. And then some. Yet at least Rodgers and Tomlin have a boost of hope in each other. And a connection that has been built over years with mutual respect. The connection, too, has been strengthened in recent months as Rodgers contemplated his future and the outside noise swirled. They talked at least once a week. Winners and losers of Aaron Rodgers' deal with Steelers? Oh so many questions Rodgers, after two disastrous seasons with the New York Jets, doesn't sign up for the one-year hitch with the Steelers unless he felt it was possible they could position themselves as a contender, of which he can have much influence. If Brady, then 43, can win a Super Bowl in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020), then maybe... The Steelers have significant pieces in place, including new big-play wideout DK Metcalf, star edge rusher T.J. Watt (pending contract) and all-pro D-tackle Cam Heyward. Tomlin's presence, which includes tapping into the locker room pulse on a Bill Parcells level, may have been the clincher for Rodgers wanting to come aboard. Tomlin, who struck out with Russell Wilson (and Justin Fields) last season, sees Rodgers as the fiery competitor eager to win now - at least for now as the one-year commitment indicates. Add a below-market contract that would still pay less than $20 million if all incentives are met and GM Omar Khan gets a bit more salary cap flexibility to stay aggressive with a talent hunt that could, well, strengthen the cast around Rodgers. Sure, Rodgers will drill down with O-coordinator Arthur Smith to craft a system that increases chances to succeed. No negative there. In fact, it may do wonders for Smith's rep, too, given the struggles with Pittsburgh's offense in 2024. Rodgers has long been regarded as having one of the NFL's sharpest minds, having deciphered virtually every blitz and coverage imaginable over two decades. That expertise matters. Never mind the narrative that they've lost too many offseason practice reps. Remember, Brett Favre came out of retirement in 2009 and joined the Minnesota Vikings on August led them to the NFC title game. Here's to patience. For much of the offseason, as the NFL universe waited on Rodgers to commit to a 21st season, Tomlin showed no hint of frustration that a deal wasn't struck months ago. The noise from critics was persistent, with suggestions that Rodgers was stringing the Steelers along balanced by suggestions that Pittsburgh should have dropped its pursuit. Pressed by reporters this spring about needing a hard deadline for a decision by Rodgers, Tomlin on multiple occasions said something about training camp. It sounded witty, like a good one-liner that left 'em laughing. 'I wish he'd have retired already': Some Steelers fans hate Aaron Rodgers signing Turns out, this week's three-day minicamp represents the last organized activity until Steelers players report for training camp in Latrobe, Penn. on July 23. Tomlin's training camp reference wasn't far off. Yet it's deeper than that. Although Rodgers reportedly had interest in the Vikings, Tomlin knew, too, that he needed time. In addition to weighing retirement, Rodgers has dealt with personal matters that included illnesses of people in his inner circle. Football aside, Tomlin understood. While Tomlin, like many coaches, can be brash, direct and boisterous - and loaded with catchy slogans - that persona may eclipse his gift for connecting with his players as people. And that will include the eccentric Rodgers. That's essential to the rich culture that Tomlin has developed. Of course, there's a Tomlin mantra that sums it up: "We want volunteers, not hostages." The Steelers have had their share of malcontents, yet personnel decisions over the years (as in move on) illustrate how serious they are in protecting a no-nonsense environment. After two years with the Jets, Rodgers is one high-profile volunteer. You can't blame him if he feels relieved. He was cut from the franchise that owns the NFL's longest playoff drought at 14 seasons, the futility wrapped with instability. They're on their eighth coach in 25 years. Tomlin, meanwhile, is Pittsburgh's third coach in 56 years. Yet all that stability comes with a different type of pressure, which Rodgers eagerly accepts in joining forces. Finally. Follow Jarrett Bell on social media: @JarrettBell
The Herald Scotland
4 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
NFL players pay brutal price for football life
Terron Armstead played 12 seasons in the NFL, most recently for the Miami Dolphins. Armstead was only 33 years old when he retired. In many "normal" jobs, you're just getting started at 33. Not the NFL. Armstead recently appeared on the "Nightcap" show and said his career is at the point where he could only play in games if he used painkilling medication. Then he described something stunning. He originally injured his knee in 2015, but it never fully healed. Meaning, he's been playing with significant knee pain as an NFL player for about a decade. "I've been dealing with a knee (issue) since my third year in the league," Armstead said. "I didn't see a practice field at all, and not because I didn't want to, or the Dolphins just wanted me to rest. It's like I literally couldn't walk. "After a game on Sunday, I wouldn't be able to walk on my own, under my own power, until Wednesday, Thursday. So I was only able to play under the pain meds. I couldn't put any pressure on my knee, so it was like, I can't keep doing that to myself." It's far from uncommon for NFL players to deal with chronic pain, even when extreme. I've heard numerous examples of this (interestingly the stories almost always come after the player retires). We know about this part of the NFL but none of us should forget it. Sure, no one forces them to do it. Yes, they get tons of cash. It's prestigious. The problem is we continue to shift away from recognizing the human part of what players do. We are traversing further away from acknowledging them as human beings, like we're on a starship, and the helm is taking us away from our home world. It's not just fantasy football that's doing this. Gambling is dehumanizing players in worse ways than fantasy football or anything else ever will. Walking away from the game isn't easy, but it's better to walk away on your own than it is to be forced out@ShannonSharpe @ochocinco @T_Armstead72 @ShayShayMedia_ — Nightcap (@NightcapShow_) June 5, 2025 Eric Winston, a former NFL offensive lineman and union executive, when once addressing the dangers of legalized gambling, spoke of the possible consequences, one of them being the further demeaning of athletes. "A lot of people look at us as -- I don't know if it's subhuman -- but not necessarily human, not necessarily having those feelings, those issues that everyone else is having," Winston was 2018. It's so much worse now. Why we sometimes need to take a breath, pause for a minute, just a minute, and remember what these NFL players go through. Players like Frank Ragnow. He retired at just 29. Ragnow was one of the league's great competitors and ironmen. But the litany of things he played through reads like something from a screenplay for a movie about a chaotic ER. Ragnow played through ankle injuries (2019 and 2023), a concussion (2019), a fractured throat (2020), turf toe (2021 and 2022), a groin injury (2022), a calf injury (2022), a back injury (2022), a knee injury (2022), and a partially torn pec (2024). A fractured throat. One more time: a fractured throat. (For the record a fractured throat does not sound great.) But beyond the catastrophic injuries are the ones that prevent players from having normal lives. Doing things like just walking around. Bending down. Standing. Driving. Ragnow once missed 13 games in 2021 because of what he called "the most severe degree of turf toe." He had a different injury to that same toe the following season and called that year one of the toughest of his career. He told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, two years ago that surgery wouldn't help and he would just have to play through for the rest of his career. It's difficult to believe it didn't play a part in his decision to retire. Again, at just 29. "These past couple of months have been very trying as I've come to the realization that my football journey is ending and I'm officially retiring from the NFL," Ragnow announced. "I've tried to convince myself that I'm feeling good but I'm not and it's time to prioritize my health and my families future. "I have given this team everything I have and I thought I had more to give, but the reality is I simply don't. I have to listen to my body and this has been one of the hardest decisions of my life. The Lions organization has been absolutely incredible throughout this process and I can't emphasize this enough how grateful I am for this team and all the fans. It was an absolute honor going to battle for you all." He did battle. All the time. A lot of NFL players do. Most do, in fact. And as we watch them battle, don't forget what they are: human beings. All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.
