Jeff Ulbrich: Falcons offered support after son's prank call - ESPN

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said he never felt as if his job was in jeopardy after the leak of Shedeur Sanders' phone number and subsequent prank call from Ulbrich's son during the NFL draft last month.

«In all honesty, I never went there, but I felt nothing but support from the organization in every single way — from the people that worked the line in the cafeteria to [owner Arthur Blank] himself, all of them,» Ulbrich said Wednesday. «I felt great support from him. It was one of the biggest reasons, in all honesty, that I came back here, because of the organization and what I think of this building.»

Ulbrich spent six years with the Falcons from 2015 to 2020, ascending to interim defensive coordinator. He has been back in Atlanta since January, brought aboard after the firing of Jimmy Lake after just one season. Ulbrich previously was the interim head coach and defensive coordinator of the New York Jets.

Last month, Ulbrich couldn't have been more excited about the Falcons' defensive haul in the draft, including two pass rushers — Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. — in the first round. A few hours later, the mood certainly shifted when Ulbrich found out his 21-year-old son, Jax, had been the one to prank-call Sanders. According to a Falcons statement, Jax copied down Sanders' number from his father's open iPad during a visit home from college with the intent to carry out a prank.

The NFL fined the Falcons $250,000 and Ulbrich himself $100,000. The Falcons did not levy any punishment. Ulbrich said intrafamily discipline on Jax has yet to be decided.

«We're still working through that, but it was a challenge for our family,» Ulbrich said. «But it's a challenge that everyone in