Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch called his actions in the final seconds of Sunday night’s 30-17 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs “childish” and head coach Dan Campbell called them “inexcusable.” The NFL called it costly and deemed it worthy of a suspension.
The league on Monday issued a one-game ban for Branch and fined the third-year safety for his postgame behavior, in which he smacked Chiefs wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster, triggering an on-field brawl in the waning seconds of Sunday night’s game at time of a contest where players typically exchange handshakes and well-wishes.
The suspension is a big blow for Detroit this week as the Lions next face the 5-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and red-hot QB Baker Mayfield.