Brian Branch spoke to reporters in the locker room after the Detroit Lions' loss to explain his side of the brawl and why he lashed out at JuJu Smith-Schuster as the teams shook hands
02:06 ET, 13 Oct 2025
Brian Branch shared his side of what caused the fracas at the end of the Detroit Lions' game against the Kansas City Chiefs
View 2 Images
Brian Branch shared his side of what caused the fracas at the end of the Detroit Lions' game against the Kansas City Chiefs(Image: X: @E_Woodyard)
Brian Branch has spoken out about what caused him to start a brawl with Kansas City Chiefs star JuJu Smith-Schuster.
With the game out of hand, the Chiefs and Detroit Lions lined up to shake hands as a show of sportsmanship. As players from both sides shook hands, Branch walked past Kareem Hunt and Patrick Mahomes - as both players tried to shake his hand - and punched Smith-Schuster's helmet.
Article continues below
The two men continued to grapple on the grass as players from both teams attempted to break up the brawl. After the incident, Lions head coach Dan Campbell spoke to reporters and explained that Branch's actions are not indicative of his teachings as the head coach.
Article continues below
READ MORE: Dan Campbell apologizes for Lions player after 'inexcusable' incident vs ChiefsREAD MORE: Chiefs and Lions throw punches as Patrick Mahomes caught in ugly postgame brawl
After the game, Branch had an opportunity to calm down. He shared his side of the story, believing that he had been targeted by the Chiefs, which caused him to lash out at the conclusion of the 30-17 loss.
"In between the play, the refs don't catch it," he began to reporters [h/t Eric Woodyard]. "They're like, they've been trying to bully me out there. And I don't know, I shouldn't have did it. It was childish."
He added: "I got locked in the back illegally, and it was right in front of the ref. The ref didn't do anything, and just stuff like that. And that's, I could have got hurt off of that. But I still shouldn't have done that. ... Yeah, there was a lot of stuff, but I should have showed it between the whistle., not after the game, and I apologize for that."
Dan Campbell admitted he apologized to Andy Reid and JuJu Smith-Schuster following the postgame fracas
View 2 Images
Dan Campbell admitted he apologized to Andy Reid and JuJu Smith-Schuster following the postgame fracas(Image: YouTube: @Detroit Lions)
Despite Branch's comments, Campbell, the Lions' head coach, explained to reporters that he apologized to members of the Chiefs' organization for the safety's actions after the game. In particular, the 49-year-old made sure to reiterate that he condemned the action.
"Let me start with this. I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable. And it's not going to be accepted here," Campbell began to reporters after the loss.
"It's not what we do. It's not what we're about. I apologized to Coach Reid and the Chiefs and you know, and Schuster. That's not OK. That's not what we do here. And it's not going to be OK. He knows it. Our team knows it. And so that's not what we do."
Get Peacock starting at $7.99
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Peacock will have exclusive access to one of this season's NFL playoff Wild Card games
$7.99
Peacock
Subscribe Here
Looking for more to watch? Peacock has hit shows, movies, live sports, and more. You can watch popular titles like Wicked and The Traitors, along with Premier League matches and live golf all in one place. Peacock offers plans starting at $7.99 a month and you can cancel anytime.
Reid also spoke on the incident, though he believed Branch's actions spoke for themselves and did not have much to add that has not already been said.
Article continues below
"Now, you guys saw," the Chiefs head coach said to reporters after the win. "The guy came up and hit JuJu. For a while, it looked like for no reason. We were taking a knee, so you know, that's tough. I mean, put pretty good damage on JuJu's nose.
Mahomes, the Chiefs' star quarterback shared his two cents regarding the kerfuffle, telling NBC Sports that Kansas City played the game "in between the whistles."
"They can do all the extracurricular stuff they want to do, but we play the game in between the whistles," he said shortly after the Chiefs' third win of the season. "We thought we played a great game today, and we’ll keep this momentum moving forward."