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JuJu Smith-Schuster injury update: Is Chiefs WR fine? Latest on Brian Branch punch row
Brian Branch's punch landed under the facemask and left the Chiefs wide receiver bleeding from a wound on the nose.
The Kansas City Chiefs clinched a 30-17 win against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, and the NFL game also saw controversy towards the end. Brian Branch punched at Juju Smith-Schuster, which triggered a melee at the end of the game. The incident happened after Branch thought that Smith-Schuster illegally blocked him in the back. Branch's punch landed under the facemask and left the Chiefs' wide receiver bleeding from a wound on the nose.
Speaking after the game, Branch said, "I did a little childish thing. But I’m tired of people doing stuff in between the plays and the ref don’t catch it, trying to bully me out there. But I should’ve never did it. It was childish."
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The punch led to a tense altercation between players from both teams and it was heated.
Meanwhile, Smith-Schuster said, "I made a good block. He obviously responded after the game. At the end of the day, it’s about the team win."
"At the end of the game. I expected to shake his hand and say, ‘Good game.’ But he thew a punch," he added.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said, “I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable and it’s not going to be accepted here. It’s not what we do. It’s not what we’re about.”
Meanwhile, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid revealed, "But pretty good damage to JuJu’s nose."
NFL usually fines players more than 40,000 Dollars on a first offense for fighting. A second offense carries a penalty of more than 80,000 Dollars. Branch has been fined at least 13 times since 2023, and the fines reach an approximate amount of 180,000 Dollars. In 2021, defensive tackle Trysten Hill was handed a two-game suspension for starting a fight. Hill punched offensive lineman John Simpson.
