KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County. He also covers the Kansas City Chiefs and was covering Sunday night's game. Share your story idea with Tod.
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Brian Branch’s pride was hurt, so JuJu Smith-Schuster ended up with a bloody nose.
Branch, a safety for the Detroit Lions, took a swing at Smith-Schuster, a Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver, as the final seconds ticked away in a 30-17 Kansas City win, touching off a postgame fracas near the home sideline.
At least Smith-Schuster could laugh about it after the game: “I feel like I’m a good dude,” he joked as he wrapped up a four-minute post-game interview session.
The Chiefs expected a street brawl with the banged-up Lions, who are notoriously tough-minded under head coach Dan Campbell, but they didn’t expect that fight to only show up after the game was over.
“They're a great team at the end of the day,” Smith-Schuster said. “Of course, you're gonna have some chatter. People are going to be talking; that's part of the game. But that's during the game, that's between the whistles, that's pads on pads.”
After Patrick Mahomes kneeled down on the game’s final play, Branch started to walk across the line of scrimmage.
He walked around running back Isiah Pacheco, who appeared to say something to Branch, and ignored Mahomes’ attempt to shake hands before aggressively approaching Smith-Schuster.
Branch knocked Smith-Schuster to the ground with a right hook before Pacheco stepped in and shoved him away.
Smith-Schuster scrambled to his feet and made a beeline for Branch, who grabbed Smith-Schuster’s facemask and spun him to the ground once again as players from both sides rushed into a scrum, where cooler heads eventually prevailed.
Branch also addressed the situation after the game: “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 be trying to bully me out there. I should have never did it. It was childish. ... I should have showed it between the whistle, not after the game, and I apologize for that.”
Branch claimed that Smith-Schuster blocked him in the back during the game, drawing his ire.
“I got blocked in the back illegally and it was in front of the ref; the ref didn’t do anything and just stuff like that,” Branch said. “I could have gotten hurt off of that, but I still shouldn’t have done that.”
Smith-Schuster admitted to tangling with Branch, who was limited in practice with an ankle injury last week but finished third with seven tackles for Detroit during the game, throughout the game and said he could tell Branch was getting frustrated.
“Me just blocking him, just doing my job,” Smith-Schuster said. “I played between the whistles and, after the game, he took advantage of what he did.”
With his nose patched up and his emotions cooled by the revelry of a winning locker room, Smith-Schuster seemed willing to forgive Branch’s transgressions.
“After the game, I expected to shake his hand and say good, but he threw a punch,” Smith-Schuster said. “... I know he's a better player than that and a better person, so he'll learn from his mistakes.”
No penalty was called for Branch's punch or the aftermath, because it occurred after the game was finished, but the NFL is expected to review the incident.
Branch surely will be fined and could face possible suspension, depending on how harsh Commissioner Roger Goodell wants to come down on such extracurricular activities.
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