A Detroit Lions star is set to face a ban after punching a Kansas City Chiefs player in the face during a chaotic ending to the game.
Although the Chiefs defeated the Lions 30-17, the result was overshadowed by a huge fight that broke out following the match.
After the final whistle, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes extended his arm to shake Brian Branch's hand, but the Lions player rejected the gesture.
That sparked a reaction from Mahomes' teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster, who approached Branch to confront him. Moments later, Branch then punched Smith-Schuster in the face.
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The Chiefs player was taken aback, but he quickly chased after Branch, leading to a mass brawl involving both teams.
The incident has since prompted debate among NFL fans over what punishment Branch could now face for his actions.
The most recent comparison for how the league has dealt was such incidents came back in 2021.
Trysten Hill was given a two-game suspension without pay for an incident following a game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Las Vegas Raiders, when Hill struck Simpson.
The league ruled it as an open-handed punch to Simpson's face mask, and he received a two game suspension without pay.
What did Brian Branch say?
In his post-match interview, Branch spoke out about the incident.
He admitted that his reaction was 'childish' but that he had been provoked.
Branch said: "I did a little childish thing. But I'm tired of people doing stuff in between the play and refs don't catch it. They be trying to bully me out there and I don't, I should've never did it. It was childish.
"I got blocked in the back (by Smith-Schuster) illegally.
"It was in front of the ref, the ref didn't do anything. Stuff like that. I could've gotten hurt off of that. I still shouldn't have done that."
Smith-Schuster also gave his view following the game, saying: "Me just blocking him. I'm just doing my job.
"He's a great player, right? I mean, he's huge for their team. I think after the game, I expect … to shake his hand and say, 'Good game,' and move Pat's way,
"But he threw a punch, and at the end of the day, it's a team sport, right? We came out here, we did our job, we won, and that's all that matters."
Mahomes also commented after the match, making a subtle dig at his opponents.
"They can do all the extracurricular stuff they want to do, but we play the game between the whistles," he added.
Topics: NFL
James Taylor