NFL investigating phone calls but prankgate looks to be partially league's own doing

Keyshawn Johnson shares what he believes would define a successful rookie season for Shedeur Sanders with the Cleveland Browns.

The NFL began supplying select draft prospects with single-purpose phones, but that has become a problem for the players, teams, and, yes, the league itself, because the numbers are being leaked with unacceptable frequency now.

You know about the leak of Shedeur Sanders' phone number. That one was quite public and ultimately easy to solve.

It was all over social media and Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich had Sanders' number, supplied to him via email from the NFL, and that somehow got into the hands of his 21-year-old son Jax, who then facilitated a viral prank call to Sanders.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Oct 7, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

What you may not know is that the phone Sanders got the call on was not his own. It was provided by the NFL only days prior to the draft.

Even Sanders said in one of his released videos of the incident that the phone "ain't in my name."

Added Sanders: "I just got this phone yesterday."

That's true because the NFL provided the phone so that teams could be certain of immediately reaching Sanders and other prospects and not have lines of communication crossed while prospects might have otherwise been on their personal phones – perhaps communicating with friends and family or simply in a dead cell zone.

And here's the kicker: The NFL began supplying these single-purpose phones to make sure its draft telecasts were not awkwardly interrupted or turned uncomfortable with