Former Tennessee Vols WR rips Atlanta Falcons front office over Shedeur Sanders prank call drama
In case you missed it – and I'm guessing you haven't if you've turned on a TV or radio or opened a Google page in the last few days – Shedeur Sanders is now one of the most famous fifth round picks in modern NFL Draft history. The former Colorado QB, who many in the […]
In case you missed it – and I'm guessing you haven't if you've turned on a TV or radio or opened a Google page in the last few days – Shedeur Sanders is now one of the most famous fifth round picks in modern NFL Draft history.
The former Colorado QB, who many in the media projected as a first round pick, was considered far from that when the draft unfolded from April 24-26, falling from the first round all the way to pick #144 by the Cleveland Browns.
However, if the drop wasn't bad enough, a pair of knuckleheads managed to get ahold of Sanders' private cell phone number and prank call him during the draft. One of them was Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich's son, Jax, who was apparently the one who secured Sanders' phone number from his father's laptop.
The matter was investigated by the league, and a fine of $250,000 was levied on the team, with an additional fine of $100,000 on Ulbrich himself.
However, one former NFL player and Tennessee Vol doesn't think the punishment was strong enough for what happened. Ex-Vol WR Da'Rick Rogers took to Twitter/X and argued that Ulbrich should have been fired for the situation.
Rogers isn't wrong about being concerned about the Falcons' defensive coordinator's apparently lax attitude towards protecting sensitive information. However, that's a pretty hefty fine that Ulbrich is inheriting as a result of both his own and his son's bad judgment.
And Sanders wasn't even the only player to be pranked during the draft. New Colts TE Tyler Warren also apparently received a prank call during the draft on Thursday night. Fortunately for him, his wait didn't last for days, as he was selected with the 14th overall pick.
Rogers, who played for the Vols from 2010-11 before transferring to Tennessee Tech in 2012 shortly after being suspended indefinitely, does have a somewhat relatable circumstance in that he knows what it's like to wait for round after round to hear your name called. However, Rogers never did hear his called, as he went undrafted in 2013. He went on to play for the Colts that year, totaling 14 catches for 192 yards and 2 touchdowns in the regular season and one catch for 46 yards during the Colts' 45-44 playoff win over Kansas City. Those would be the last stats of his career.
Hopefully nothing like what happens to Sanders happens again, particularly with Ulbrich and/or his son. Surely, they've learned their lesson there. Because if they haven't, then Rogers' demand would be a lot more warranted.
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