NFL Suspends Detroit Lions Safety For Postgame Strike

The Detroit Lions have learned the fate of Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch.

The National Football League, after reviewing the actions of the former second-round pick, have made the decision to suspend Branch for one game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Against the Kansas City Chiefs, Branch struck wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster in the helmet and a serious skirmish broke out, following the conclusion of Sunday Night Football.

Several pundits spoke out publicly about the league needing to punish the former Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back, especially since sportsmanship was a significant point of emphasis discussed all offseason.

“There’s no excuse for that behavior, that’s number one. Number two, moments earlier, he refused a handshake from Patrick Mahomes. Let’s not forget that," said Stephen A. Smith. "He’s talking about some hit that transpired where he could have gotten hurt. Was that Mahomes who did that? Maybe I’m missing something. But the likelihood was that it wasn’t Mahomes who did that to him. So, it’s poor sportsmanship.

"And as far as I’m concerned, since you misrepresented the organization so flagrantly, so publicly, I think a suspension should come from the league and the Detroit Lions," Smith added further. "Because you ain’t got no business acting that way.”

NFL insider Adam Schefter expressed Monday afternoon on the "Pat McAfee Show" the league would evalute the matter quickly and make a ruling.

"If he's going to be suspended, if there's going to be any suspension, we will probably hear something today on that," said Schefter. "Obviously, if we go back to Jalen Carter in the first game of the year, he spit on Dak (Prescott) on the first play and got ejected. So, if this incident had occurred pregame, would Brian Branch have been ejected from the game? And I think the answer is probably yes."

"If he would have been ejected before the game, it stands to reason that the league is absolutely going to consider a suspension here," Schefter commented further. "Especially when you consider that sportsmanship was a point of emphasis for the NFL in the offseason. Especially when it is a standalone Sunday night game. So, the league is going to go over it. ... At the very least, there are going to be significant fines. There is a real possibility that it is going to involve a suspension."

Detroit could again turn to Thomas Harper to fill in for Branch. Avonte Maddox could also return from a hamstring injury he suffered last week.

Loren Strickland was also recently signed to the Lions 53-man active roster.

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