The Detroit Lions will be without Brian Branch on Monday night when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the safety’s one-game suspension was upheld on Wednesday.
Branch was issued the punishment on Monday, a day after he slapped Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in the facemask just after the teams’ game ended. The incident precipitated a minor skirmish in the wake of the Chiefs’ 30-17 win.
Branch’s appeal was heard and then rejected by Jordy Nelson, whose appointment was made jointly by the league and the players’ union.
The NFL’s announcement of the suspension, written by vice president of football operations Jon Runyan, stated, “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.”
Branch admitted Sunday night that his slap was “childish,” but he maintained that the Chiefs were “trying to bully me out there,” citing one play on which Smith-Schuster blocked him in the back but wasn’t penalized.
Branch, 23, has started all six games for the Lions (4-2) this season, registering 33 tackles, one sack, five passes defensed and one forced fumble. He was a Pro Bowl selection last year after logging career highs of 109 tackles, four interceptions and 16 passes defensed.
In 37 career NFL games (31 starts) since Detroit made him a second-round draft pick in 2023 out of Alabama, Branch has 216 tackles, three sacks, seven interceptions, 34 passes defensed and three forced fumbles.
