Lions' Dan Campbell Says Brian Branch Will 'Learn from' JuJu Smith-Schuster Slap

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said that safety Brian Branch, who was suspended one game for his role in a postgame fight following his team's 30-17 road loss at the Kansas City Chiefs, "will learn" from his actions, per comments made in his press conference on Tuesday.

After the game, Branch was seen brushing off a handshake from quarterback Patrick Mahomes before walking to Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and slapping him in the head, which started a postgame fracas between the two sides.

Chiefs win big...but things get HEATED postgame

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Postgame, Campbell told reporters that he loved Branch but called the act "inexcusable."

Dan Campbell on Brian Branch hitting Smith-Schuster (via Lions)

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NFL VP of football operations Jon Runyan explained to Branch in a letter why he was suspended, per NFL.com.

"Your aggressive, non-football act was entirely unwarranted, posed a serious risk of injury, and clearly violated the standards of conduct and sportsmanship expected of NFL players. Your conduct reflected poorly on the NFL and has no place in our game."

Branch is appealing the one-game ban, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Branch told his side of the story after the game and said Smith-Schuster had just blocked him in the back illegally.

Smith-Schuster did as well. When asked if there was anything leading up to the slap, he said: "I mean, me just blocking him. I mean, I'm just doing my job, you know? I play between the whistles, and after the game, he took advantage of what he did."

As for the game itself, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes starred by completing 22-of-30 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for one score and helped the Chiefs outscore the Lions 24-7 in the final 30:37 of the game.

▶️ Full Lions-Chiefs Recap

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If Branch's suspension is upheld, he'll sit out of a big game on Monday evening at home against the 5-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have the NFC's best record. The NFC North-leading Lions are just a game back at 4-2.

As for the Chiefs, they've rebounded well after an 0-2 start to improve to 3-3. The rival Las Vegas Raiders are up next on Sunday at home.