This isn't who the Detroit Lions are, or what they claim to be, anyway. Following a deflating road loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead – a place where many a great team have fallen short in recent years – Lions safety Brian Branch took it worst than most. Branch refused to shake hands with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and then instigated a fight with wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. The officials, long gone at this juncture, were in no position to step in and stop a battle between two men twice their size. Dan Campbell spoke to Branch's actions postgame, and made clear they wouldn't be tolerated.
"Let me start with this," 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. I apologized to coach [Andy] Reid and the Chiefs and 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."
These aren't the Bad Boy Pistons, after all. While the Lions are built on grit and toughness, they also have plenty of skill players on their own who ought not to be targeted. If the script was flipped, the Lions and their fanbase would be furious. Branch will face the wrath of the NFL for actions he has already apologized for.
"I did a real childish thing," Branch said, via The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy. "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."
A Patrick Mahomes handshake snub started a chaotic ending between Chiefs, Lions
It turns out the Lions were just as mad as the general public that the officials called zero penalties against the Chiefs in a home primetime game. Per the Pro Football Hall of Fame's website, as of 2013 the last game without a single penalty had been in 1940. It should also be noted the Chiefs were called for 13 penalties in their loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars just last week. The lack of consistency in these calls eventually led to a fuming Branch not just snubbing Patrick Mahomes' handshake, but starting postgame fight.
"I got blocked in the back illegally," Branch said. "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."
Brian Branch started the fight in the field. Brian Branch threw a punch and knocked JuJu Smith-Schuster down. Brian Branch should be suspended. THERE IS NO PLACE IN SPORTS FOR THAT. pic.twitter.com/C8DtVukdlF
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) October 13, 2025
As you can see at the beginning of the video, this exchange started as Mahomes tried to shake Branch's hand. Branch ignored Mahomes, snubbing the future Hall of Famer to start a fight with Smith-Schuster. If Branch weren't on the Chiefs bad side already, he sure is now.
"I mean, we play the game in between the whistles," Mahomes said. "They can do all the extracurricular stuff they want to do, but we play in between the whistles."
How will the NFL punish Brian Branch?
The NFL will undoubtedly drop the hammer on Branch via a fine that will make his yearly salary look a whole lot smaller. Roger Goodell and the league have little tolerance for fighting after the whistle, especially at the end of games. While it's helpful that Branch already apologized and admitted his wrongdoing, expect the NFL to do a little more than slap him on the wrist financially.
The question Lions fans should be asking is the following: Could the NFL suspend Branch for his actions? This Detroit secondary was already down a few playmakers against KC. Detroit hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and early-season MVP candidate Baker Mayfield just next week before their bye week. Branch's status for that matchup looms large.