Detroit Lions’ starter suspended for starting brawl vs Kansas City Chiefs

• The NFL suspended Lions defensive back Brian Branch for one game without pay for starting a brawl.
• Branch, who called his actions “childish,” has been fined four times this season.

The NFL handed Detroit Lions defensive back Brian Branch a one-game suspension without pay on Monday, Oct. 13, for his actions that initiated a brawl in the Lions’ 30-17 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs a night earlier.

Branch will miss the Lions’ next game, which is their Monday Night Football matchup at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7 on Oct. 20.

At 22 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Branch slapped Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in the face, after Smith-Schuster said something to Branch and motioned to shake his hand. The brawl was brief and the fight was broken up by the game’s officials and field security.

Branch was contrite about his role in the brawl, but explained why he punched Smith-Schuster.

“I did a real childish thing,” Branch said. “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.”

Lions coach Dan Campbell said during his postgame news conference that Branch’s actions were “inexcusable.”

Branch also apologized to Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who said after the game that Branch did “pretty good damage” to Smith-Schuster’s nose, but didn’t specify.

“You guys saw it,” Reid told the media. “The guy came up and hit JuJu for what looked like no reason.”

This was Branch’s fourth fine this season, and his 14th total in his career, despite being in just his third season out of Alabama. The fine for the Lions-Chiefs brawl will dock him about $76,624.