Following the Kansas City Chiefs‘ win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday, tensions flared when Detroit’s Brian Branch had an exchange with Patrick Mahomes, where he refused to shake his hand. When JuJu Smith-Schuster got up, the Lions DB grabbed his facemask and slammed him down again. The incident led to a brief on-field scuffle involving several players, as reported by CBS Sports.
Now, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith weighed in on Monday’s episode of First Take, saying Branch “should be suspended immediately” following the post-game fight, as reported by Athlon Sports.
Also Read: Fight breaks out after Chiefs vs Lions game over Mahomes-Branch handshake row. Here’s what happened
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith calls for Brian Branch’s suspension
Talking about Branch’s actions following the final whistle on Sunday, Smit said, “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.”
He continued, “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,” as reported by Athlon Sports.
Smith stated that its a “bad reflection” on Branch and the Lions. He added, “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, because you ain’t got no business acting that way.”
Also Read: Brian Branch breaks silence over fight after Chiefs vs Lions game: ‘I did a real childish thing’
Brian Branch admitted it was ‘childish thing’ to do
Following the game, Branch admitted, “I did a real childish thing,” via The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy. He added, “I’m tired of people doing stuff in between plays and refs don’t catch it. They be trying to bully me out there. I shouldn’t have did it, it was childish.”
He pointed to a back-and-forth with Smith-Schuster during the game. He continued, “I got blocked in the back illegally. And it was in front of the ref and the ref didn’t do anything. And just stuff like that. I coulda got hurt off a that, but I still should not have done that,” as reported by CBS Sports.
He concluded his remarks with an apology for his actions post-game.
