The list of prank call victims from the NFL Draft weekend continues to grow as one of the top selections in the prospect pool was added to the group.
Abdul Carter, the best pure defensive prospect in the class, says he received a prank call last Thursday evening.
Carter was taken third overall by the New York Giants. However, just before that pick was made official, he received a call from a prankster who claimed to be from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jaguars made a trade with the Cleveland Browns to move up from the No. 5 pick to the No. 2 pick.
When the prankster contacted Carter, they claimed that the Jaguars were going to select him second overall.
But Carter and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, immediately knew that the call was a fake.
New York Giants draft pick Abdul Carter revealed that he was prank called on draft night
Carter joins a growing list of NFL Draft prank call victims headlined by Shedeur Sanders
‘It’s unfortunate that these private numbers are getting to the people making the prank calls,’ Rosenhaus said (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).
‘Abdul and I knew it was bs and didn’t even tell his family about the call.’
Carter’s name is the latest in a list of players – both highly rated and otherwise – who received prank calls over the three-day draft period.
The most prominent would be Shedeur Sanders, mostly due to how highly publicized his prank call was and the fallout afterward.
The quarterback’s humiliating freefall to the fifth round of the NFL Draft at the weekend was compounded by a cruel prank call Friday, which was made to a phone number only available to NFL executives and team front offices.
It later emerged that Jax Ulbrich, the 21-year-old son of Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich, was behind the call after he released a statement confessing to the outrageous act on Sunday.
On Wednesday, the NFL confirmed that the Falcons have been fined $250,000 and Jeff Ulbrich $100,000 for the breach of confidential information.
It is reported that Jax obtained the number by writing it down from his father’s iPad, while visiting his parents’ home with the intention of later conducting the call, according to ESPN.
A clip of the hoax against Sanders was posted on social media on Saturday
Jax Ulbrich, the son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, apologized on social media where he revealed he was involved in the prank call against Sanders
The Falcons and DC Jeff Ulbrich have been fined by the league over the prank call
In a responding statement, the Falcons accepted the discipline, vowing to tighten its security procedures.
The organization further revealed that Ulbrich’s son Jax would be serving his own punishment in the form of community service.
‘We appreciate the NFL’s swift and thorough review of last week’s data exposure and the event that transpired due to it,’ the franchise said.
‘We were proactive in addressing the situation internally and cooperated fully with the league throughout the process, and accept the discipline levied to Coach Jeff Ulbrich and the organization. We are confident in our security policies and practices and will continue to emphasize adherence to them with our staff whether on or off premises.
‘Additionally, the Ulbrich family is working with the organization to participate in community service initiatives in relation to last week’s matter.’
However, Sanders wasn’t the only victim of the prank call torture with at least five others reported to have suffered a similar fate.
An Alabama fan prank called undrafted free agent Isaiah Bond while pretending to be working for the Atlanta Falcons.
Bond, who transferred from Alabama to Texas, then heard the fan say, ‘Roll Tide, Isaiah, Roll Tide’ before eventually hanging up the phone.
Undrafted free agent Isaiah Bond has been unveiled as one of the victims of the prank calls
Tyler Warren was also prank called before his first-round selection by the Indianapolis Colts
Sixth-rounders Kyle McCord of Syracuse and Chase Lundt of UConn were also prank called
Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord revealed he got so many calls from southern New Jersey and Philadelphia area codes, that when Eagles GM Howie Roseman called to actually inform him that he was being selected, he believed it was another prank.
UConn offensive lineman Chase Lundt told media in Buffalo that prior to being picked by the Bills, he was prank called five separate times.
In addition to Bond, McCord, and Lundt, first-round picks Tyler Warren, Josh Conerly Jr, and Mason Graham received prank calls as well.
The league is currently investigating how those prank calls got through.
