The Atlanta Falcons have been fined $250,000 and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has been fined $100,000 as the result of Ulbrich’s son participating in a prank call to Shedeur Sanders during the NFL draft.

The NFL confirmed the fines on Wednesday for the roles by the Falcons and Ulbrich in failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club in advance of the NFL draft.

The Falcons, who disclosed the role of Ulbrich’s 21-year-old son Jax in the prank call as Sanders was waiting for his name to be called in the draft, said Wednesday they accept the discipline from the league.

“We appreciate the NFL’s swift and thorough review of last week’s data exposure and the event that transpired due to it,” the Falcons said in a statement.

“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.”

Falcons excercise fifth-year option for WR London >> The Atlanta Falcons have exercised the fifth-year option on wide receiver Drake London’s contract.

Through three seasons, London has 241 receptions for 3,042 yards and 15 touchdowns in 50 games, including 48 starts.

London started all 17 games in 2024 and set career highs with team-leading totals of 100 catches for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns.

Jets’ QB retires >> New York Jets quarterback Jordan Travis has informed the team he will retire from playing football, surprisingly ending his long comeback from a serious leg injury in college.

Travis said in a statement released by the Jets that he “gave everything I had to the rehab process,” but was medically advised to stop playing.

The 24-year-old Travis was a fifth-round draft pick last year out of Florida State, but spent last season on the Jets’ non-football injury list. The team will now place him on the reserve/retired list.

Travis hurt his left leg during a game against North Alabama in November 2023, the last time he played in a game at any level. His left leg rolled under a defender, twisting his ankle awkwardly and fracturing his leg/ankle.

Jets exercise fifth-year options >> The New York Jets exercised the fifth-year contract options for all three of their 2022 first-round draft picks: cornerback Sauce Gardner, wide receiver Garrett Wilson and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson.

Gardner, Wilson and Johnson have been bright spots during a rough stretch for a franchise that has the NFL’s longest active playoff drought at 14 seasons.

Baseball

Rangers trade reliever to Guardians >> The Cleveland Guardians have acquired right-handed pitcher Matt Festa from the Texas Rangers for cash.

The 32-year-old Festa was assigned to Triple-A Columbus and is not on the Guardians’ 40-man roster.

Festa has appeared in 108 major league games over five seasons with Seattle, Texas and the New York Mets, posting a 4.60 ERA.

Marlins Conine has season ending shoulder surgery >> Miami Marlins rookie outfielder Griffin Canning will miss the rest of the season following surgery on his left shoulder.

Conine jammed his shoulder into the ground on a head-first slide into second in an 11-10 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies last Saturday. The 27-year left the game and was placed on the 60-day injured list the following day.

WNBA

Mystics rookie injures ACL in practice >> Washington Mystics rookie Georgia Amoore injured the ACL in her right knee at practice.

The No. 6 pick in the WNBA draft was injured a day earlier. She averaged 19.6 points for Kentucky last season and was expected to help the franchise rebuild this year along with fellow rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, who were selected third and fourth earlier this month.

Tennis

Swiatek advances to Madrid Open semifinals >> Iga Swiatek survived “one of the weirdest matches” after losing the first six games and recovering to defeat Madison Keys 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 and stay on track to defend her title at the Madrid Open.

The second-ranked Swiatek will face Coco Gauff in the semifinals after the 21-year-old American beat teenager Mirra Andreeva in straight sets in the youngest WTA 1000 quarterfinal since 2009.

Swiatek was overpowered by Keys early in their quarterfinal but eventually found a way to rally past the fifth-ranked American on center court.

NHL

Ovechkin scores as the Capitals eliminate the Canadiens in 5, advance to play the Hurricanes >> For the first time in seven years, the Washington Capitals were on the smiling end of a playoff handshake line. And they got to enjoy it at home for the first time in a decade.

Alex Ovechkin scored on a laser of a shot off a faceoff, Logan Thompson made some spectacular saves among his 28 and the Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in Game 5 of their first-round series Wednesday night to advance in the NHL playoffs.

It’s the Capitals’ first series win since capturing the Stanley Cup in 2018, and they clinched at home for the first time since 2015. They face the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round with a spot in the Eastern Conference final at stake.

Panthers advance to the second round after defeating Tampa Bay in 5 games >> etu Luostarinen had a goal and three assists to lead the Florida Panthers to a victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning and advance Florida to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart also scored for Florida. Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 26 saves as the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers defeated their in-state rival in five games in the first round for the second consecutive season.

The Panthers will play the winner of the series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators, which Toronto currently leads 3-2. Game 6 is Thursday.