Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris delivered an emotional message of support for defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich after the death of Ulbrich’s wife, Cristina, at the age of 48.
The circumstances surrounding Cristina Ulbrich’s passing have not been fully disclosed, but she had been battling cancer. News of her death quickly resonated across the NFL, where the Ulbrich family is widely known and respected.
As the Falcons returned to training camp on Friday morning, Morris addressed reporters before practice and opened with a somber statement on behalf of the team.
“It’s a difficult time for the Ulbrich family, it’s a difficult time for the Falcons family, it’s a difficult time for everybody who knew and loved Cristina,” Morris said.
He added that the organization would stand firmly behind Ulbrich and his children, saying the Falcons would “put our arms around him and the kids” both personally and as a team. Morris said Ulbrich would speak publicly when he felt the time was right.
“We are obviously with him and the kids in the short-term and the long-term,” Morris continued, before asking to shift football questions until after practice. “I just wanted everyone to know how we feel.”
Jeff Ulbrich kisses his wife Cristina before his Jets played the Bills in October 2024
Jeff Ulbrich and his wife Cristina, front right, pose with their daughter Sammy, left, at MetLife Stadium
‘It’s heartbreaking. We’ll make sure we’re a family through all this, okay?’
A mother to the couple’s three children, Samantha, Jax and Jace, Cristina was at Jeff’s side for years as he established himself as a solid NFL linebacker and, later, an assistant coach. In fact, when he first tried to break into coaching, Cristina vowed not to plan anything that could potentially conflict with his next job.
‘We’re not taking any vacations or going anywhere until he has something down,’ Cristina, then 32, told the Morgan Hill Times in 2010. ‘We know Jeff’s coaching can take us anywhere, just like with playing. I’m on board and so are the kids.’
Jeff’s transition from the field to the sideline also gave Cristina some peace of mind.
‘It’s knowing we don’t have to worry about his health anymore,’ Cristina said of her husband, who had battled concussions during his playing career.
The couple’s patience paid off in 2024, when Jeff was promoted to interim head coach of the New York Jets following Robert Saleh’s firing. A week later, a proud Cristina was pictured kissing her husband on the sideline as he prepared for his first game in charge of the team.
The following year, he agreed to become the Falcons defensive coordinator and the couple was on the move for the fifth time since Jeff’s playing career ended in 2009.
And it was that devotion by Cristina towards Jeff that stuck out to Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who issued his own statement on Thursday.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski, pictured on Wednesday, spoke to the media after Cristina’s death
Cristina and Jeff met in 1997 when he was on a recruiting visit to the University of Hawaii
‘It was always evident how deeply Cristina loved her family and how fiercely she supported them,’ Blank said in his statement.
It’s unclear when they actually tied the knot, but the couple first got together nearly three decades ago. As The Athletic reported in 2023, Jeff met Cristina while on a recruiting trip to the University of Hawaii in 1997. Since then, they’ve maintained a private life away from the football field.
And according to Jeff’s former 49ers teammate, Takeo Spikes, she and Jeff were extremely close, particularly after the birth of their children.
‘When he got around his family it was like nothing else mattered,’ Spikes told The Athletic in 2023. ‘He didn’t care what type of day he had at the office. It was like, “I just want to make sure I’m around for them.”‘
