Brian Branch Could Face Suspension for Strike on JuJu Smith-Schuster After Chiefs-Lions Game
Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch got chippy with the Kansas City Chiefs following his team’s 13-point road loss, drawing the ire of superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes tried to shake Branch’s hand as the final seconds ran off the clock, a gesture that Branch brushed off. Kansas City wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster called Branch out, at which point Branch struck the wideout in the face and knocked him to the ground.
A large brawl subsequently ensued, which included all three of the aforementioned players and spread to include several dozen more — to one degree or another.
Video of the incident circulated widely on social media. And shortly after the scrum subsided, Mahomes spoke about Branch’s actions while still standing on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
“I mean, we play the game in between the whistles,” Mahomes said. “They can do all the extra-curricular stuff they want to do, but we play the game between the whistles.”
Brian Branch Could Face Fine, Suspension for Actions Against Chiefs on ‘Sunday Night Football’
The NFL has multiple avenues by which it could penalize Branch for his behavior Sunday night, and none of them are good for the player. And in fact, one might end up hugely detrimental to his team.
The league typically fines players more than $40,000 on a first offense for fighting, while a second offense carries a penalty of more than $80,000, according to NFL.com. The NFL has fined Branch at least 13 times since 2023 for a total amount of approximately $180,000, though it is unclear if any of those fines have come specifically for fighting.
A financial penalty would be the best possible outcome, as there is also precedent for the league to suspend a player for the sort of action Branch took against Smith-Schuster.
Defensive tackle Trysten Hill, then of the Dallas Cowboys, caught a two-game suspension for starting a fight with the Las Vegas Raiders after a Thanksgiving Day game in 2021.
“Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Trysten Hill has been suspended two games without pay by the NFL for his postgame punch in an altercation with Las Vegas Raiders offensive lineman John Simpson,” wrote Grant Gordon of NFL Network.
Lions cornerbacks D.J. Reed and Terrion Arnold are both out indefinitely with injuries, and Detroit must face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1) on next week’s edition of “Monday Night Football.” Playing that game without Branch will mean the Lions are going to be down three of their starters in the secondary from Week 1.
Brian Branch’s Strike Did Damage to JuJu Smith-Schuster’s Face, per Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid
That Smith-Schuster sustained what may be a visible injury certainly isn’t going to help Branch’s case.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said following the game that there was “pretty good damage on JuJu’s nose,” according to Marleah Campbell of KCTV5 in Kansas City.
If that damage is visible to the naked eye, that will only serve to worsen the optics of the situation. That, in turn, might potentially come into play when the NFL decides how to punish Branch for a sprawling and violent fight that “Sunday Night Football” broadcasted nationally.
Aryna Sabalenka’s Dangerous Racket Throw Almost Hits Ball Kid at Wuhan Open
Aryna Sabalenka came very close to hitting one of the ball kids and being disqualified at the 2025 Wuhan Open.
The WTA 1000 event in Wuhan was Sabalenka's first after her win at the US Open. That meant she entered the tournament in China on a winning streak and wanted to end it the same way.
Although that mission didn't start well, as she lost the opening set of her first match against Rebecca Sramkova, the world No. 1 then went on to win seven consecutive sets, which brought her only one set away from the final.
Sabalenka beat Sramkova, Liudmila Samsonova, and Elena Rybakina to reach the semi-finals. Especially her win over Rybakina was incredibly impressive, as she beat the Kazakhstani player 6-3, 6-3.
In the semi-finals, it once again looked like Sabalenka was marching towards another impressive win. She won the first set against Jessica Pegula 6-2, and having beaten the American eight times in their last 10 meetings, very few thought Pegula would end the match with a smile on her face.
Although Pegula won the second set 6-4, Sabalenka seemingly took over the match in the third set, leading 5-2. She even served for the match, but then it suddenly slipped out of her hands.
The top seed lost her serve at 5-3, and two games later, she was broken once again. It was after the last rally of the 11th game that Sabalenka failed to control her emotions.
After Pegula broke her opponent's serve for a 6-5 lead, Sabalenka dangerously threw her racket towards her bench. The racket then rebounded off the bench and almost hit one of the ball kids standing close to the net.
The world No. 1 quickly apologized to the ball kid, as she obviously didn't mean to harm anyone and only wanted to release her frustration. However, she wouldn't be the first player disqualified for similar action.
Sabalenka then faced two match points in the following game, but still broke Pegula's serve. However, she didn't play a good tie-break, ultimately losing the match 6-2, 4-6, 6-7(2).
What's next for Aryna Sabalenka after Wuhan disappointment?
Sabalenka will be able to fully forget her loss in the upcoming weeks. There will be tournaments held in Ningbo, Osaka, Tokyo, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Jiujiang, but the world No. 1 will miss all of those events.
She is not the only one. Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, and Madison Keys don't appear on the entry lists for these events either, which means tennis fans will see them on the tennis courts this year at only one more event.
The 2025 WTA Finals will be played in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 1st until 8th. Unlike in previous years, this year, it will be the last tournament of the season for women.
