A fight broke out at the end of the Chiefs’ win over the Lions after Detroit defensive back Brian Branch slapped Kansas City receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
The brawl occurred just after Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes kneeled down to run out the rest of the clock and the players started to shake hands.
Branch walked right by Isiah Pacheco and snubbed a handshake from Mahomes before getting into the face of Smith-Schuster and slapping the Kansas City receiver.
Pacheco tried to keep Branch back after the punch, but Smith-Schuster came racing back toward him and tried to take some revenge — which set off a massive melee.
The situation quickly got under control as cool heads prevailed.
“I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable and it’s not going to be accepted here,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters during his news conference. “It’s not what we do. It’s not what we’re about and I apologize to coach [Andy] Reid and the Chiefs and [Smith-Schuster]. That’s not OK. That’s not what we do here and it’s not going to be OK. He knows it, our team knows it and so, that’s not what we do.”
There’s no question that Branch will be getting a call from the league over the incident, though it’s unclear who else will be getting reprimanded for the postgame fight.
Branch does have a history with the league, as he was ejected last year during a game against the Packers after delivering a late hit on receiver Bo Melton.
He then flipped off the crowd and was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Branch later apologized for his actions.
Frustration was evident for Detroit on Sunday night as they fell 30-17 to the Chiefs.