The NFL suspended Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch for striking Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster following their game Sunday night, October 12. But instead of accepting his punishment outright, Branch decided again to fight on Monday.
Branch intends to appeal the league’s ruling of a one-game suspension without pay, per a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network on October 13.
“Brian Branch is appealing, source said,” Rapoport posted to X.
Should the NFL’s decision hold, Branch will miss his team’s “Monday Night Football” showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1) on October 20.
The game will take place at Ford Field in Detroit, which might soften the blow a bit. However, the Lions will be without starting cornerbacks in D.J. Reed, who is currently on the injured reserve list (IR) with a serious hamstring issue, and Terrion Arnold, who is almost certain to sit out due to shoulder injury he suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5.
If Branch is also out, that means the Detroit secondary will be down three of its opening-day starters against a Tampa Bay offense that ranks sixth in the league with 27.5 points per game and seventh in pass offense at 244.2 yards per outing, per ESPN.
Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since he sustained it against the New York Jets on September 21, while rookie standout Emeka Egbuka suffered a hamstring strain of his own on Sunday and could miss next week’s contest in Detroit. But even without those two pass-catchers, quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay offense won’t be easy to slow down with a bunch of backups and reserves floating around the Lions secondary.
Brian Branch Admitted Culpability in Explanation for Why He Went After JuJu Smith-Schuster
Branch’s appeal could prove tough sledding, as the safety essentially admitted after the game that what he did was wrong.
“It was a childish thing, but I’m tired of people doing stuff in between the play and refs don’t catch it,” Branch said, per ESPN. “They be trying to bully me out there. I should have never did it. It was childish.”
Smith-Schuster, who came up out of the scrum with his helmet ripped off and his nose bleeding, also spoke with reporters about the incident following the game.
“He’s a great player and he’s huge for [their] team,” Smith-Schuster said in reference to Branch. “After the game, I expected to shake his hand and say, ‘Good game.’ But he threw a punch.”
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Had Words for Brian Branch Immediately Following Postgame Altercation
It was actually Branch’s interaction with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes following the last play of the game that initiated everything that followed.
Mahomes attempted to shake Branch’s hand, a gesture that the Lions DB brushed off. Smith-Schuster reacted noticeably to the snub, after which Branch threw the first punch that kicked off a much larger physical confrontation between multiple players on both teams.
“I mean, we play the game in between the whistles,” Mahomes said after the fight ended. “They can do all the extra-curricular stuff they want to do, but we play the game between the whistles.”
