Detroit, MI
Lions safety Brian Branch’s suspension upheld on appeal, will miss Buccaneers game
Takeaways from Detroit Lions loss to Kansas City Chiefs
Detroit Lions lose to Chiefs: Dave Birkett and Shawn Windsor break down the Week 6 game in Kansas City.
Brian Branch’s one-game suspension for striking JuJu Smith-Schuster in the face has been upheld by appeals officer Jordy Nelson, the former Green Bay Packers wide receiver.
The NFL said today Branch will serve the suspension he was given for this week’s Monday night game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he knocked Smith to the ground in the final seconds of the Detroit Lions’ 30-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Branch, who has been fined three other times this season for unsportsmanlike conduct or unnecessary roughness violations, hit Smith-Schuster in the side of the helmet as players from both teams began shaking hands after Patrick Mahomes’ final kneel-down snap.
He said the incident was retaliation for an illegal blindside block Smith-Schuster made on him late in the game. Smith-Schuster’s block was not penalized by officials.
[ Maybe we can all learn something from Brian Branch’s infraction to end Lions-Chiefs ]
Branch apologized for the incident and called his actions “childish” after the game, and Lions coach Dan Campbell said the incident was “inexcusable.”
In a letter to Branch announcing the punishment, NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan wrote Branch violated the league’s policy on unsportsmanlike conduct.
“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,” Runyon wrote. “Your conduct reflected poorly on the NFL and has no place in our game.”
Campbell said Tuesday he was approaching this week as if Branch would lose his appeal and not play against a Buccaneers team that has the best record in the NFL at 5-1 and an MVP candidate at quarterback in Baker Mayfield.
Branch’s absence comes at a tough time for a Lions secondary that will be shorthanded for the third straight week.
Starting cornerback D.J. Reed is on injured reserve and out till next month with a hamstring strain, fellow starting cornerback Terrion Arnold (shoulder) and backup safety Avonte Maddox (hamstring) are not expected to return until after the Lions’ Week 8 bye, and safety Kerby Joseph has been playing through a knee injury he suffered in a Week 4 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Campbell said the team will decide on Joseph’s availability later this week and could give him two weeks off like it did Taylor Decker with his injured shoulder. The Lions have a bye next week.
“We saw the game the other day,” Campbell said. “He tried to gut through it, played most of the game. Look, it wasn’t his best performance, but he’d tell you that, too. He was giving us what he had, and so we’ll have to reassess.”
A second-round pick out of Alabama in 2023, Branch has been one of the Lions’ most valuable defensive players since he entered the league while also struggling with on-field discipline.
Branch has been fined 10 times since the start of the 2024 season and was fined last year for striking Arizona Cardinals tight end Tip Reiman in the face, similar to how he hit Smith-Schuster, after a field goal. This year, he’s lost more than $111,000 in wages, including the $76,625 he will be docked for Sunday’s game.
He will be eligible to return to the Lions’ active roster on Tuesday, Oct. 21
“Look, this is one instance of something that happened,” Campbell said. “It doesn’t matter what led to it, that’s no different than you’re driving down the road and something happens on the highway, you can’t take out your aggression on somebody else. Can’t cross that line. Our players know that. Brian knows it. He’s fine. He’ll learn from this and be better. Listen, he’s an outstanding young man, he really is and he’s got a big heart and he made a mistake and he’ll learn from it.”
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
Chickens and geese that went missing from a local nonprofit’s Detroit site were found in the backyard of a nearby home, the director of operations said Wednesday.
The Full Circle Foundation, a Grosse Point Park-based nonprofit, said more than a dozen chickens and geese were believed stolen from a chicken coop on Detroit’s east side that also features the Full Circle Edible Garden.
The nonprofit provides training and job opportunities for young people with special needs.
Neighbors who learned from news reports about the missing flock found the “chickens were being held in the backyard of a vacant home not far from the Full Circle Edible Garden,” said Stephanie DiVirgil, director of operations. She said Ribbon Farm 4-H owns the flock.
“The homeowner was contacted, and she reached out to Full Circle to confirm,” said DiVirgil. “We were able to retrieve all of the chickens and geese that were found on the property, 19 in total.”
The foundation and Ribbon Farms 4-H are working to secure the site, including cameras, fencing and lights.
“We will likely start a fundraising campaign to have these items installed,” DiVirgil said. “We’ve gotten amazing support from the community, including offers to help pay for these additional security measures.”
DETROIT (WXYZ) — Human remains were found in a furnace of an home on Detroit’s west side, the Detroit Police Department tells us.
The remains was found by an individual working on the home in the 5200 block of S Clarendon just after 11 a.m.
Anyone with information can call 313-596-2260 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-SpeakUp.
Stay with WXYZ.com for updates on this developing story.
The Detroit Police Department is investigating after a 5-year-old child was shot in the arm near a park on Tuesday.
The shooting happened at about 8:50 p.m. near the Fargo-Oaklfield Playground on the city’s west side. Police Chief Todd Bettison says the child was in front of his home riding a bike with his father supervising at the time of the shooting.
Bettison says an individual at the park fired multiple shots, striking the child. He says the boy’s father reported hearing shots and the child falling from his bike.
Bettison says the child is expected to be OK.
Bettison says the person appears to have been firing shots randomly, which he calls “problematic.” He says a person of interest is described as possibly between 15 and 16 years old and wearing a mask. He says the person is known to frequent the area.
“When you fire a weapon, what goes up must go down,” Bettison said. “To parents and everyone, know where your kids are. Juveniles should not have guns, and whether you’re an adult or a child, you should not be firing a weapon inside of the city limits.”
Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield released a statement, saying in part, “By the grace of God, this young boy will recover from his injury and is on his way home from the hospital. With that said, this incident was senseless and could have had a much more tragic ending.
“Every child in Detroit deserves to feel safe riding their bike, playing outside, and simply being a child in their own neighborhood. We cannot accept a reality where our children are placed in harm’s way because someone chose to recklessly fire a gun.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-Speak Up.
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