Inside the NFL’s Hidden Phone Number Chaos: Why Prospects’ Privacy Is at Risk

Prank calls used to be an old-school bit of mischief—think “The Jerky Boys” crafting their zany characters, sparking genuine laughs. But dialing up draft prospects during one of the NFL’s most critical moments? That’s a different breed of nonsense altogether. You don’t pull stunts like that on someone whose future is on the line and expect it to slide without a hitch. The real root of the problem here isn’t just pranksters with too much time on their hands, though—it’s the NFL’s own loose grip on who gets hold of players’ direct lines. The Shedeur Sanders prank, involving the Falcons’ coach’s son, isn’t just some random fluke; it exposes a glaring security flaw that seems to be more about convenience than careful discretion. When nearly every exec, head coach, and assistant coach gets these private contacts handed out like candy, there’s a recipe for trouble—one that needs serious tightening. And hey, why not switch to FaceTime or something visual so no one’s left guessing who’s really calling? The NFL’s gotta own its part in this chaos, or we’ll just hear the usual “case closed” lines while the real issues linger. Ready for the full rundown? LEARN MORE

As to the prank call made to quarterback Shedeur Sanders during the second day of the draft, the number was obtained by the 21-year-old son of Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. Ulbrich had the number because the NFL sent to a broad distribution list an email that provided Sanders’s update number.There’s no reason for so many people to have the numbers. At most, three people at each team need the number: owner, G.M., and head coach. It arguably could be limited to one person per organization.Another way to prevent prank calls would be to make the calls by FaceTime only. It would be obvious that it’s real from the moment the call is answered.Whatever the NFL does, it has some indirect responsibility for the Shedeur prank because it was way too loose with the information. This makes it even more likely that the Falcons’ statement will be regarded as the end of the matter (even if there could be more to the story than the team admits), and that the NFL will just quietly move on.And while it’s impossible to prevent any and all prank calls made by friends or others who may have access to the phone numbers, the NFL can and should do more to ensure that access to the numbers is limited.

When it comes to the general practice of prank calls, The Jerky Boys were artists. When prank calls are specifically made to prospects during the draft, those who do it are just jerks.All personnel executives received it. All head coaches and assistant coaches received it.