Detroit Lions Pro Bowl safety Brian Branch has been suspended one game by the NFL for his actions in a postgame fight after the Lions lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, 30-17, on Sunday night.
The incident occurred shortly after the game ended, when Branch struck Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in the face. Smith-Schuster confronted Branch, who responded by grabbing his facemask and throwing Smith-Schuster to the ground, which sparked a skirmish between both teams’ players on the field.
“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,” NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan said in a letter to Branch, according to NFL.com. “Your conduct reflected poorly on the NFL and has no place in our game.”
Branch, a third-year veteran, has appealed his suspension, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. If upheld, he stands to forfeit his $76,624 game check for his one-game suspension, per Spotrac.
Lions coach Dan Campbell issued a statement about Branch’s actions following Sunday’s postgame altercation.
“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 told reporters after the game. “It’s not what we do, it’s not what we’re about. I apologized to coach [Andy] Reid and the Chiefs and Schuster. That’s not OK. That’s not what we do here, and it’s not gonna be OK. He knows it, our team knows it. That’s not what we do.”
Branch also issued a public apology for his actions.
“I did a real childish thing,” Branch said Sunday. “I’m tired of people doing stuff in between plays and refs don’t catch it. They be trying to bully me out there. I shouldn’t have did it, it was childish.”
The Lions next play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home on “Monday Night Football” next week. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST.
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