9 hours ago
2
A video focused on the Lions' Brian Branch was deleted from social media by NFL Films after the safety punched the Chiefs' Juju Smith-Schuster and sparked a brawl.
The video, which was part of NFL Films' 'Turning Point' series, attempted to provide context for Branch's postgame blow-up as it discussed several difficult moments for him during Detroit's loss to Kansas City last week.
'It was a long game for Lions safety Brian Branch, number 32,' narrator Louis Riddick said. 'He got burned by [Travis] Kelce's basketball move. He got showed up by [Patrick] Mahomes. He got juked by Xavier Worthy and took a shot from JuJu Smith-Schuster. The turning point led to Branch's boiling point.'
The clip also featured a postgame interview from Branch in which he said that Smith-Schuster had hit him with an illegal block in the back.
'I'm tired of people doing stuff in between a play and refs don't catch it,' he said. 'They're trying to bully me out there.'
Nonetheless, many Lions fans (and at least one player, D.J. Reader), felt the video was overly harsh on Branch, and it was ultimately taken down from social media.
Lions defender Brian Branch swung at JuJu Smith-Schuster, sparking a massive brawl
Branch said he shouldn't have hit Smith-Schuster, but said he was provoked by a block in the back from the receiver which refs didn't call
'NFL Films wants all of its shows to have a distinct voice and point of view,' the NFL told The Athletic in a statement.
'In the case of 'NFL Turning Point,' that voice and point of view is Louis Riddick's. He spends time every week with the show's producers watching each segment and going over the script before narrating them. That particular sequence felt different to NFL Films as part of a 9-minute breakdown of the Lions-Chiefs game than it did as a standalone excerpt on social media. On X, it felt overly critical to Brian Branch so it was taken down.'
The video had been widely criticized by Lions fans, while Branch's teammate Reader also called it 'so weird to me.'
Following the Chiefs' 30-17 win over the Lions last weekend, Branch ignored Mahomes' attempt to shake his hand before swinging at Smith-Schuster.
The pair soon ended up on the ground fighting one another, and Branch was ultimately handed a one-game suspension by the league.
Branch and Smith-Schuster later wound up on the ground as the fighting escalated
Smith-Schuster also emerged from the fracas with blood coming out of his nose.
And Lions head coach Dan Campbell also offered no excuses for Branch's actions.
'I love Brian Branch, but what he did was inexcusable,' Campbell told reporters after the game.
NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan also sharply criticized Branch in a letter on Monday, saying: '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.
'Your conduct reflected poorly on the NFL and has no place in our game.'
Branch will now miss the Lions' matchup against the Bucs on Monday.
