Think Again: The Prank Heard Round the World
Sometimes, I admit, it is disheartening to see the sheer numbers of people who absolutely don’t, can’t or are simply unwilling to get how the real-world works.
Shedeur Sanders, fifth round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns, was, as everyone knows, expected to be chosen a LOT higher. And yet he fell like a rock into the fifth round, where the Browns decided there was a solid chance of a legitimate steal to be had, and selected him 144th overall, approximately 143 slots beyond where a lot of the experts predicted he’d go.
That in and of itself is a whole other story, but the focus of this piece is what happened the day before, and the perception it created. According to reports, the son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich found the private number the NFL had given the Falcons to reach Shedeur Sanders should they decide to select him during the draft. (And one would assume, a full list of numbers for all other potential draftees.)
The idea was to avoid the confusion pranksters can cause. When a draftee’s special phone number rings, they know it will be a team on the other end.
So when that number rang, Sanders’ team picked it up expecting it was the Falcons, and as we all know, it was Ulbricht’s kid and a friend playing a prank. They video’d themselves doing it, because of course they would, it is 2025 and life doesn’t happen if you don’t release a video of yourself living it.
And oh man, you’d have thought they committed a capital crime. Outrage wreaked its usual havoc across social media. Folks wanted head on platters and there’s nothing unusual about that, fans split on whether the call was no big deal or an awful example of cruelty.
It was both. But ultimately, ythe call was in and of itself harmless. Shedeur and his family handled it well. the next day when he was finally picked, we saw elation, happiness and joy.
OK, so other than the unbelievable pearl clutching of the coverage over his fall, the story was over. Til the next day when the NFL announced investigations into that and other reports of prank calls that other players had received, including our Commanders’ first rounder Josh Conerly.
Immediately, the Falcons and Ulbricht were heavily fined by the NFL. And of course, folks didn’t understand why.
$350 grand for a crank call. What a world.
— smfd (@smfd28753666) April 30, 2025
This was by no means a unique position people took on this ‘crank call. The NFL was giving this special treatment because of the player’s name.
Time and time again the NFL makes horrible reactionary decisions that are based on nothing nut public opinion! There are several prank calls made every year to draftees but this year because it’s Deion Danders kid it has to be a big deal…
— Darrell Martinelli (@dmart47) April 30, 2025
This gent actually believes the entire fine and investigation was so the NFL could ‘save face’.
It’s so “serious” that they don’t have rules and policies in place to make sure only the people who need the info get it?
You’re very dull if you believe this. The nfl is trying to save face
You know the easiest work around. Provide the draftee with the 32 phone number that…
— The Wright Tackle (@TheWrightTackle) April 30, 2025
I would like to say this conversation didn’t last very long, but this was indicative of the frustration of seeing folks who know absolutely nothing about how the actual world works, instead treating everything like it’s some episode of Real Housewives or some other dumb-fuck ‘reality’.
This post should be in the Museum of Happily Ignorant
First, there are rules in place.
Second the NFL DID issue specific phone numbers for draftees and give them to teams so they could avoid confusion of potential pranks. This was exactly the problem. The number pranked WAS that number.
But still, the investigation and fine are laughed at by many more than just this fellow, and so many are focusing on the call. The call is the end result. Ultimately it is harmless. The Falcons were fined first because the NFL knew who made the call (they video’d it, remember?), not because it happened to Shedeur Sanders. And so, the need for investigation into the others before fines are levied.
The fines are high not because of the call. It is the breach of data. These guys saw the number on an open iPad. And they did a kid’s prank with it. But the NFL is put in a highly vulnerable position.
For one, it is personal data, and any company is liable if they allow it to be stolen. If you don’t think so, try releasing your company’s personal phone list and see how fast you’re looking for a new job. Ostensibly, this info isn’t the only thing on the iPad, and one can only assume that there is more team-related information that should be properly secured, at the very least not left on an open iPad, even at home. Playbooks, injury info, notes, any number of things that can cause the NFL a real problem if it got out.
The NFL is now more than ever before publicly linked with gambling, they endorse Caesar’s, FanDuel, and DraftKings as official sponsorship partners. Now, more than ever the NFL cannot afford ANY appearance of impropriety. And unsecured data or leaked insider info shifting gambling odds will certainly cause that.
Want to kill a sports league? Let the general public believe that it is predetermined or fixed. This is why the heavy fines and hopefully, a tightening of security practices among the teams of the NFL. Prank calls are the least of the problems that breaches like this can cause.
This was serious, and if you don’t believe so, think again.
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