"What does an apology do?" - Cam Newton reacts with disbelief to Shedeur Sanders falling victim to prank by Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich's son
Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton expressed frustration over the prank call directed at Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders during the 2025 NFL Draft.
Shedeur Sanders is the son of NFL legend Deion Sanders. He entered the 2025 draft as a highly rated quarterback prospect from Colorado.
On Wednesday, Newton addressed the controversial incident on his podcast 4th&1 with Cam Newton.
"I felt so bad for Shedeur. You think about what the NFL draft is: this is probably the only moment in American history where minorities turn millionaires in a day. You know, at least 100, 200, potentially even 300 individuals are going to become or change the dynamic of their family's lineage off of one day. And somebody playing with you — what does an apology do? I was publicly embarrassed," said Newton.
The incident Newton referenced occurred during the draft. Jax Ulbrich, the 21-year-old son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, obtained Sanders' phone number from his father's iPad.
He then called Sanders pretending to be New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis. He falsely told the quarterback they would select him with their next pick.
Ulbrich publicly apologized during a press conference at the Falcons' facility:
"My actions of not protecting confidential data were inexcusable. My son's actions were absolutely inexcusable, and for that we are both deeply sorry," he said.
He added that both Shedeur Sanders and his father, Deion, were "amazingly gracious — more gracious than they needed to be in a moment like this."
Jax Ulbrich also issued an apology via Instagram, calling his actions "completely inexcusable, embarrassing and shameful."
Shedeur Sanders isn't the only one who got prank calls
Cam Newton criticized those who dismissed the incident as merely a joke or a prank:
"But someone would say, 'Bro, it was a joke; it was a prank.' Yeah, but bro, you've got to understand, you have to cite the source and cite the individual. That's not something to play with. And you're trying to use him as a piñata to hit around?," Newton said.
The NFL took swift disciplinary action following the incident. On Wednesday, the league fined the Falcons organization $250,000 and Jeff Ulbrich $100,000. According to Front Office Sports, the fine represents approximately 6% of Ulbrich's $1.6 million salary for 2025.
Sanders, who had been widely expected to be a first-round selection, experienced an unexpected slide in the draft. He wasn't selected until the fifth round when the Cleveland Browns finally picked him. When asked about the prank, Shedeur Sanders downplayed its impact:
"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."
The incident wasn't isolated. Reports indicated that Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham and another prospect, Tyler Warren, also received similar prank calls during the draft. The NFL said that these calls were unrelated to the Shedeur Sanders situation.