KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Detroit Lions DB Brian Branch’s punch to the helmet of Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster will be a costly one.
The NFL announced Branch will be suspended without pay for one game after the punch, which came moments after the final whistle in the Chiefs’ 30-17 victory on Sunday Night Football.
Jon Runyan, NFL vice president of football operations, wrote a letter Monday 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,” he said in the letter. “Your conduct reflected poorly on the NFL and has no place in our game."
Brnach apologized after the scuffle.
“I did a little childish thing, but I’m tired of people doing stuff in between the play and refs don’t catch it," Branch told reporters after the game. "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.”
He claimed 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, throughout the game. Smith-Schuster 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.”
NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport reports Branch is appealing the suspension.
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