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Marc Raimondi
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Marc Raimondi
ESPN Employees Author
- Marc Raimondi’s first yr protecting the Falcons was 2024, nevertheless it wasn’t his first yr at ESPN. He joined the corporate in 2019 and was a prime fight sports activities reporter. He additionally lined skilled wrestling and wrote the guide “Say Whats up to the Dangerous Guys: How Professional Wrestling’s New World Order Modified America,” which was printed by Simon & Schuster in 2025. Raimondi additionally labored for the New York Put up and Newsday, starting in 2009, protecting highschool and school sports activities, plus the NFL, NFL, MLB and NHL.
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Daniel Oyefusi
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Daniel Oyefusi
ESPN
- Daniel Oyefusi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN. Previous to ESPN, he lined the Miami Dolphins for the Miami Herald, in addition to the Baltimore Ravens for The Baltimore Solar.
The son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich admitted to a prank name made to Shedeur Sanders in the course of the NFL draft and apologized in an Instagram submit Sunday.
The NFL is trying into the scenario, particularly how Sanders’ personal quantity leaked, sources instructed ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Falcons mentioned in a press release Sunday that 21-year-old Jax Ulbrich wrote down the quantity from his father’s open iPad whereas visiting his dad and mom’ residence “to later conduct a prank name.”
As Sanders continued to attend for his identify to be referred to as on Day 2 of the draft Friday, a video surfaced on social media of the previous Colorado quarterback receiving a name from somebody impersonating New Orleans Saints normal supervisor Mickey Loomis.
The caller instructed Sanders: “We will take you with our subsequent decide, man, however you are going to have to attend a bit of bit longer, man. Sorry about that.”
A confused Sanders requested the group gathered for his draft occasion, “What does that imply?”
Jax Ulbrich wrote in his submit that what he did was “utterly inexcusable, embarrassing, and shameful.” He mentioned Sanders accepted his name earlier.
“I am so sorry I took away out of your second, it was egocentric and infantile,” Jax Ulbrich mentioned in his Instagram submit. “I may by no means think about on the point of have fun one of many biggest moments of your life and I made a horrible mistake and messed with that second. Thanks for accepting my name earlier right this moment, I hope yow will discover it in your coronary heart to forgive me.”
The Falcons is not going to take any motion towards Jeff Ulbrich, in keeping with Schefter.
In a convention name with Cleveland-area reporters after he was drafted by the Browns within the fifth spherical Saturday, Sanders mentioned he wasn’t bothered by the prank.
“It did not actually have an effect on me,” Sanders mentioned, “as a result of it was similar to, I imply, OK, like I do not feed into negativity, or I do not feed into that stuff. You have seen on Deion [Sanders] Jr.’s YouTube video my response to it, I do not — it’s what it’s. I believe, in fact, it’s infantile. In fact, I really feel prefer it was a infantile act, however everyone does infantile issues right here and there.”
New Indianapolis Colts tight finish Tyler Warren additionally obtained a prank name earlier than he was chosen within the first spherical by Indianapolis, a league supply instructed ESPN’s Stephen Holder. Buffalo Payments sixth-round decide Chase Lundt, an offensive deal with, mentioned in his introductory information convention that he obtained “4 or 5” prank calls in the course of the draft.
“There have been numerous ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ all through the course of the morning, however I used to be capable of form of push them apart after some time and simply form of keep levelheaded by way of all of it,” Lundt mentioned.
A Falcons staff official instructed Schefter that Jax Ulbrich was not behind these calls and had solely Sanders’ telephone quantity.
The Falcons mentioned of their assertion that Jeff Ulbrich was not conscious of the information breach, or the prank name, till after the actual fact. The staff mentioned it could evaluation its protocols to make sure one thing like this does not occur once more.
“The Atlanta Falcons don’t condone this habits and ship our honest apologies to Shedeur Sanders and his household, who we now have been involved with to apologize to, in addition to facilitate an apology straight from Jax to the Sanders household,” the Falcons’ assertion learn.
ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg contributed to this report.
