It was a long and frustrating night for the Detroit Lions inside Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. But it didn’t end with the final whistle, or after the Kansas City Chiefs dismantled them 30-17 in their Week 6 matchup. Instead, it ended with safety Brian Branch smacking the Chiefs’ wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster with an open-handed shot, sparking a brief sideline brawl between both teams.

As things stand, the league will surely review every possible camera angle to decide who gets fined or if anyone deserves a suspension. But one thing seems clear right now: The Lions might not even wait for that. They could suspend Branch themselves before the league steps in.

Besides, there’s a possibility that the team and the league coordinate together for a decision. Right after the Chiefs beat the Lions 30-17 on Sunday night, Patrick Mahomes was spotted trying to give a high-five to Branch. Instead, the 23-year-old Lions’ safety walked past the Chiefs’ quarterback. But that didn’t sit well with Smith-Schuster.

The wideout stepped in to have a word with Branch, but the Lions’ safety’s response? It wasn’t verbal. In fact, it was a quick right hook that dropped JuJu to the ground. “It was a childish thing, but I’m tired of people doing stuff in between the play and refs don’t catch it,” Branch said after the incident. “They be trying to bully me out there. I should have never did it. It was childish.”

The Chiefs’ veteran wideout got back to his feet and charged after Branch. Running back Isiah Pacheco tried to step in between them, but it was too late. Branch had already ripped Smith-Schuster’s helmet off as dozens of players from both teams swarmed the scuffle. “He’s a great player and he’s huge for [their] team,” Smith-Schuster said of Branch. “After the game, I expected to shake his hand and say, ‘Good game.’ But he threw a punch.”

Having said that, the Lions are now expected to suspend Brian Branch, and Dan Campbell has already released his statement about the incident.

Brian Branch’s actions against the Chiefs’ wideout were inexcusable

Brian Branch is playing just his third season, and his fines have already started piling up. Take this season, for instance. The 23-year-old has already had three fines so far, with a fourth one reportedly lining up next. For starters, he was fined for taunting and for a facemask foul against the Green Bay Packers. He was also fined for a low block against the Baltimore Ravens.

To make things trickier, the league had fined Branch seven times in the 2024 season alone. Fast forward to now, and Dan Campbell’s Lions and the league are now expected to fine him or suspend him in the coming days. And that’s why the Lions’ head coach noted that Branch’s actions against the Chiefs’ wideout were inexcusable.

“I love Brian Branch but what he did is inexcusable,” Campbell said. “And it’s not gonna be accepted here. It’s not what we do, it’s not what we’re about. I apologize to Coach [Andy] Reid and the Chiefs and, you know, Schuster. That’s not OK. That’s not what we do here. And it’s not gonna be OK. He knows it. Our team knows it. That’s not what we do.”

For now, the league hasn’t made a decision yet. But as things stand, if the league decides a suspension, it might start with Brian Branch.