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Dan Campbell apologizes to Chiefs for postgame fight: 'I love Brian Branch but that was inexcusable'

FaceProfileby: Thomas Goldkamp10/13/25

At the end of a Sunday Night Football game between the Detroit Lions and the Kansas City Chiefs, Lions defensive back Brian Branch appeared to be responsible for starting a near brawl. Dozens of players from both sides ended up involved in the scrap, which started with Branch throwing a punch.

Following Kansas City’s 30-17 win, the clock was ticking down and players were greeting each other. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes put offered a handshake to Branch, who turned him down.

At that point, Brian Branch and Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster seemed to exchange words. Moments later, Branch threw a glancing punch directed at Smith-Schuster’s helmet.

Smith-Schuster was knocked back. Teammates leaped to his defense, including running back Isiah Pacheco, who drove Branch backward. Eventually about 30 to 40 players rushed to get involved.

Detroit coach Dan Campbell was quick to take responsibility for the incident after the game on Branch’s behalf. He wasn’t happy with how things unfolded.

“I love Brian Branch but what he did was inexcusable and it’s not going to be accepted here,” Campbell said. “It’s not what we do, it’s not what we’re about. 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. So that’s not what we do.”

It’ll be interesting to see if the league disciplines the two sides — particularly Brian Branch — for the scrap as the clock ticked down. As NBC broadcaster Mike Tirico noted on the broadcast, Branch has already received several fines from the NFL.

“The league’s going to take action on that one against Branch,” fellow broadcaster Cris Collinsworth opined.

Branch was recently fined for a low block he committed during Detroit’s Week 3 win over Baltimore. That was his third fine this season and the 13th of his three-year career, according to a report from Yahoo! Sports.