{"id":53300,"date":"2025-10-13T18:19:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T22:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/nfl-detroit-lions-brian-branch-banned-for-one-game-without-pay-after-punching-kansas-city-chiefs-juju-smith-schuster-nfl-news\/13\/10\/2025\/"},"modified":"2025-10-13T18:19:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T22:19:19","slug":"nfl-detroit-lions-brian-branch-banned-for-one-game-without-pay-after-punching-kansas-city-chiefs-juju-smith-schuster-nfl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/nfl-detroit-lions-brian-branch-banned-for-one-game-without-pay-after-punching-kansas-city-chiefs-juju-smith-schuster-nfl-news\/13\/10\/2025\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL: Detroit Lions’ Brian Branch banned for one game without pay after punching Kansas City Chiefs’ JuJu Smith-Schuster | NFL News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch has been banned for one game without pay by the NFL after he punched Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in an incident that set off a post-game scuffle.<\/p>\n
NFL vice president of football operations, Jon Runyan, wrote in a letter to Branch: “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.<\/p>\n
“Your conduct reflected poorly on the NFL and has no place in our game.”<\/p>\n
Branch – who can appeal the suspension – is poised to miss the Lions’ game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Monday.<\/p>\n
The 23-year-old will be eligible to re-join the active roster the following day.<\/p>\n
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<\/div>\n Image:<\/span> \n Branch will miss the Lions’ game with Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Monday \n <\/span> \n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Branch: I did a little childish thing<\/h3>\n
Sunday’s skirmish stemmed from Branch rejecting a high-five from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes following the Lions’ 30-17 loss.<\/p>\n
After Branch walked straight past Mahomes, Kansas City player Smith-Schuster had words with Branch and was subsequently struck in the face and left with a bloody nose.<\/p>\n
Players and coaches from both teams had to break up a resulting melee.<\/p>\n
Speaking afterwards, Branch said: “I did a little childish thing, but I’m tired of people doing stuff in between the play and refs don’t catch it. They were trying to bully me out there and I don’t – I shouldn’t have done it. It was childish.”<\/p>\n
Lions head coach Dan Campbell added: “I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable. It’s not going to be accepted here. It’s not what we do, it’s not what we’re about.”<\/p>\n