Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch will not play in Monday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a hearing officer rejected the former Alabama defensive back’s appeal of a suspension imposed by the NFL, the league announced on Wednesday night.
The NFL suspended Branch for one game on Monday after an incident at the end of the Lions’ 30-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night.
Branch appealed his punishment to a hearing officer jointly appointed and compensated by the NFL and NFLPA to decide appeals of on-field player discipline.
But former NFL wide receiver Jordy Nelson upheld the one-game suspension.
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The incident that resulted in the suspension seemed to stem from Branch ignoring the handshake attempt of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes after the game. Kansas City wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster appeared to say something to Branch about his action, and the former Alabama defensive back responded by hitting Smith-Schuster in the helmet, sending the wide receiver to the turf and sparking an altercation that brought players running.
Jon Runyan, the NFL vice president of football operations, issued the suspension for a violation of Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, which prohibits unsportsmanlike conduct and applies to “any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship.”
In a letter to Branch, Runyan wrote: “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.”
After the game, Branch said Smith-Schuster had illegally blocked him in the back on Sunday night without incurring a penalty.
“I did a little, childish thing,” Branch said, “but I’m tired of people doing stuff in between the play, and refs don’t catch it. Like, they trying to bully me out there, and I should have never did it, but it was childish. …
“I got blocked in the back illegally, and it was in front of the ref. The ref didn’t do anything. And just stuff like that. I could have got hurt off of that, but I still shouldn’t have done that.”
The Lions and Buccaneers square off at 6 p.m. CDT Monday at Ford Field in Detroit. ABC and ESPN will televise the game.
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