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By Nathan Dougherty
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Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch marred the ending of Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs when he struck wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster after the final whistle sounded, sparking a skirmish between both teams.
But while Branch is expected to face significant punishment from the NFL for his actions, Smith-Schuster is also facing scrutiny after video emerged of the blindside block that Branch claims eventually led to the fight.
Branch told reporters after the game that he was upset at Smith-Schuster for a hit late in the fourth quarter — one that appeared to be a blindside block but was not flagged by officials. Branch said he could have been injured, which is why he was angry at the Chiefs wide receiver.
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"I could've got hurt off of that play," Branch said, via ESPN. "I still shouldn't have done that."
While Smith-Schuster's hit was not highlighted during Sunday's broadcast, video was later shared on social media that gave it more context. Former NFL player turned commentator Emmanuel Acho noted that Smith-Schuster appeared to add some insult to injury after the hit.
"This is the play that Branch said led to the post game brawl between with JuJu," Acho shared in a post on X. "JuJu Smith-Schuster blocks Brian Branch in the back and proceeds to step over him."
The Chiefs receiver admitted after the game that it was the earlier fourth-quarter block that eventually led to Branch's postgame strike.
"I mean, me just blocking him," Smith-Schuster said when asked about the cause of the scuffle.
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But Smith-Schuster downplayed any wrongdoing on his part.
"I'm just doing my job," Smith-Schuster said. "I play between the whistles."
Though the video added more context to Branch's postgame attack on Smith-Schuster, the Lions safety still admitted that he was in the wrong.
"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. "They be trying to bully me out there. I should have never did it. It was childish."
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