Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur explained the cruel sequence of events that led to him missing the funeral service for Cristina Ulbrich, the late wife of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator, Jeff Ulbrich.
LaFleur, 46, made plans to fly privately to the memorial from the Packers’ training camp location in Green Bay, according to a profile published in The Athletic on Tuesday, August 11.
However, as the plane prepared to take off, the crew found a mechanical issue and the aircraft was unable to get off the ground.
Matt and his wife, BreAnne, have been longtime friends with Jeff, 49, and Cristina, who died of cancer last month at the age of 48.
“All the sudden, I’m back in meetings,” he recalled. “I’m like, ‘It’s out of my control.’”
BreAnne, 43, was able to travel separately to the funeral and made it on time to represent the LaFleur family.
“It’s different … when it’s somebody your age,” Matt said about Cristina’s death. “She was a rock star. I think about it every day. I worry about ‘Brich.”
Matt and Jeff were on the Atlanta Falcons coaching staff together from 2015 to 2016 – Matt as quarterbacks coach, Jeff as linebackers coach – both joining the staff in the same season.
“It puts all of this stuff a little bit more in perspective,” Matt said, gesturing around his office “… you can’t take it for granted, that’s for sure.”
The Falcons announced Cristina’s death in a social media post on July 30.
“Cristina was a devoted wife, mother, and friend whose strength, grace, and resilience touched all who knew her,” the statement read. “She was a constant source of love and support to Jeff, their family, and the broader Falcons community.”
The team continued, “On behalf of the entire organization, we extend our deepest condolences to Jeff, their children, and all who loved Cristina. During this incredibly difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with the Ulbrich family. We ask that their privacy be respected as they grieve this profound loss, and we stand with them in support and remembrance of Cristina’s life.”
Jeff and Cristina met in 1997 and share three children: sons Jax and Jace and daughter Samantha.
Falcons head coach, Kevin Stefanski, called Cristina’s death a “difficult time” for the entire organization.
“Like any family, we will support Jeff and the kids and we’ll put our arms around him and the kids, literally and as an organization,” Stefanski, 44, told reporters on Friday, July 31. “I’ll let Jeff address you guys when the time is appropriate and he can share his thoughts. But just so you guys know, we are obviously with him and the kids in the short-term and in the long-term.”
Stefanski added, “It’s heartbreaking, and we’ll make sure we are a family through all of this.”
Jeff returned to Falcons practice on August 3, as the team prepared for its preseason opener against the Denver Broncos on Friday, August 14.
