Shedeur Sanders And His Family Are Both The Victims And Winners In NFL Prank Call Scandal

The biggest apparent loser in the NFL draft over the weekend was easily the Sanders family, headed by Colorado coach Deion Sanders and including his quarterback son Shedeur Sanders and his safety-playing son Shilo Sanders.

It's hard to use the term "loser" for these men because they've done so much winning in their time and the guess here is that isn't going to stop any time soon. 

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 28: Head coach Deion Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes talks with Shedeur Sanders #2 during the second half of a game against the UCF Knights at FBC Mortgage Stadium on September 28, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

A Draft Punctuated By Failure

But when the draft came and Shedeur fell from atop draft boards with a thud – all the way to the fifth round -- it looked like a loss. And when Shilo went undrafted, it looked like a loss.

And when their father witnessed it all over a three-day span, and we saw glimpses of his pain and disbelief about what was happening, because the family had a camera crew recording their experiences, it all looked like a loss.

Then, atop all that pain and loss, there was also humiliation. 

Because an otherwise anonymous kid named Jax Ulbrich facilitated a call to Shedeur's phone during the draft that punked the quarterback by making him believe he'd been drafted before it had actually happened.

An Apology from the Ulbrichs To Sanders

The prank was not funny. It was not clever. 

It was mostly foolish and totally immature. And it came stained with a streak of cruelty.

Well, we know now that Jax is the college-aged son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. And the NFL on Wednesday came down on the coach with a $100,000 fine and also fined the Falcons $250,000 – the punishment for not protecting the confidential information of a potential draft pick.

The Ulbrichs, contrite, and full of regret, have apologized to all parties involved.

And you know who comes out looking great after all this?

The Sanders family.

MIAMI, FLORIDA - AUGUST 08:  Linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich of the Atlanta Falcons looks on against the Miami Dolphins during the preseason game at Hard Rock Stadium on August 08, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Jeff Ulbrich: Sanders Family ‘Gracious’

"I made the Falcons aware of the situation," Jeff Ulbrich said on Wednesday. "And the next course of action was to try to get a hold of the Sanders family so we could apologize in person, which we were able to do.

"And the Sanders family, Shedeur and coach Sanders were amazingly gracious. More gracious than they needed to be in a moment like this."

So let's understand this: The Sanders family, aggrieved and probably a little embarrassed, responded with mercy.

The Sanders family, larger than life and with egos to match, showed grace.

Let that marinate for a moment.

And that's not all.

Shedeur slid in the draft for any number of reasons, mostly having to do with himself. He is not only a developmental quarterback but also an imperfect vessel, as anonymous coaches called him arrogant, cocky, entitled, whatever.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 27: Quarterback Shedeur Sanders of Colorado during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on FEBRUARY 27, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)

No Anger, Victimization From Shedeur

But when he was asked about that moment when some anonymous kid half a country away raised his hopes merely to get a laugh at his expense, Sanders didn't show any of those traits the anonymous coaches assigned to him.

"It didn’t really have an impact on me because it was just like, I mean, OK, like I don’t feed into negativity, or I don’t feed into that stuff," he told reporters in Cleveland after he was finally selected.  

"My reaction to it, I don’t … It is what it is. I think, of course, it is childish. Of course, I feel like it was a childish act. But everybody does childish things here and there."

So where's the anger? The victimization? The promise of revenge?

Not present.

You know where Shedeur was present? At John Marshall High School in Cleveland where he visited on Wednesday to speak to students to inspire them and to be "a positive influence to the youth."

That's just the reaction of someone rallying from an apparent loss to a personal victory.