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NFL reporter faces backlash for calling Jax Ulbrich a ‘good kid’ amid Shedeur Sanders prank call incident
Jax Ulbrich prank-called Shedeur Sanders during the NFL Draft. The Athletic’s NFL reporter Zack Rosenblatt said Jax is "a good kid who made a mistake."
Jax Ulbrich, the 21-year-old son of the Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, prank-called Shedeur Sanders during the National Football League (NFL) Draft on April 25. Sanders received a prank call on Friday from someone pretending to be the general manager of the New Orleans Saints, Mickey Loomis.
What did the NFL reporter comment?
The Athletic’s NFL reporter Zack Rosenblatt posted a quoted retweet on his X handle regarding Jax’s behaviour, saying, “Jax Ulbrich, Jeff Ulbrich’s son, released an apology for his role in the Shedeur Sanders prank call. I’m told he also reached out to the Sanders family directly to apologize. By all accounts, Jax is a good kid who made a mistake and he’s doing what he can to hold himself accountable for what he did.”
How did netizens react?
This post by Rosenblatt has been criticised by NFL fans all over X, with one user saying “really? just warm-washing a cretinous prank because the kid apologized? like, sure, apologize, but he kicked someone at their lowest low.”
Another user commented “Good ‘kids’ don’t steal confidential info, provide it to someone else w/ malicious intent, participate in a cruel joke, record it, AND upload it to the internet. Also, he’s a grown man. Don’t attempt to minimize what he did by infantilizing him”
A frustrated user also bashed Zack’s comment by saying “He's a 21 year old grown adult who made a piece of s*** choice. Also stole private information via the work that his dad does. F*** outta here calling him a kid. S***bag.”
Ulbrich’s apology
Jax Ulbrich apologised for his behaviour on social media, saying “On Friday night I made a tremendous mistake. Sheduer, what I did was completely inexcusable, embarrassing, and shameful. I'm so sorry I took away from your moment, it was selfish and childish. I could never imagine getting ready to celebrate one of the greatest moments of your life and I made a terrible mistake and messed with that moment. Thank you for accepting my call earlier today, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
How did the Falcons react?
The Atlanta Falcons released a statement later on saying “Earlier in the week, Jax Ulbrich, the 21-year-old son of defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, unintentionally came across the draft contact phone number for Shedeur Sanders off an open iPad while visiting his parent's home and wrote the number down to later conduct a prank call. Jeff Ulbrich was unaware of the data exposure or any facets of the prank and was made aware of the above only after the fact. The Atlanta Falcons do not condone this behavior and send our sincere apologies to Shedeur Sanders and his family, who we have been in contact with to apologize to, as well as facilitate an apology directly from Jax to the Sanders family.”
