NFL acts quickly to punish Lions S Brian Branch after Week 6 altercation with Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
They wasted no time.
The NFL wasted no time deciding Brian Branch’s actions following an incident he started after the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions primetime game on Sunday night.
On Monday, the league announced that Branch has been suspended for one game without pay due to unsportsmanlike conduct. NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan said the incident violated Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, which prohibits “any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship.”
“Your aggressive, non-football act was entirely unwarranted, posed a serious risk of injury, and clearly violated the standards of conduct and sportsmanship expected of NFL players. Your conduct reflected poorly on the NFL and has no place in our game,” Runyan’s letter to Branch said, per a statement released by the NFL.
Branch can return on Tuesday, Oct. 21, after Detroit’s Oct. 20 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Lions’ defensive back can appeal the suspension as per the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The fight began when Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes went over to shake Branch’s hand, but the defensive back ignored the gesture, instead walking right past him and brushing it off. Smith-Schuster saw this interaction and wasn’t having it. He confronted Branch, appearing to have said something about this disrespectful act.
Branch came right over and took a shot at Schuster, shoving him in the face. JuJu Smith-Schuster went after Branch, and from there, both teams started to get into it. Smith-Schuster was left with a bloody nose.
Brian Branch apologized for his actions
After the game, Branch apologized for what he did, while also revealing what led to his frustrating boiling over.
“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. “They be trying to bully me out there. I should have never did it. It was childish.”
“I got blocked in the back illegally. It was in front of the ref and the ref didn’t do anything,” he added. “And stuff like that. I could have got hurt off of that play. I still shouldn’t have done that.”
And the play that he was referring to involved Smith-Schuster.
Smith-Schuster was also asked about this play.
“I mean, me just blocking him,” he responded. “I’m just doing my job. I play between the whistles.”
Kansas City Chiefs News
Chiefs’ JuJu Smith-Schuster takes the high road after brawl sparked by Lions’ Brian Branch left him with bloody nose
What an end to last night’s primetime game.
