It all started when Detroit Lions' safety Brian Branch felt Kansas City Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster got away with an "illegal block in the back."
That's when he smacked Smith-Schuster under the face mask, leaving Smith-Schuster "bleeding from a gash on his nose," USA Today Sports reported. A fight between the Chiefs and Lions broke out, and the video went viral.
"The guy came up and hit JuJu for what looked like no reason," Chiefs Coach Andy Reid told reporters. "That's tough, and he did pretty good damage on JuJu's nose."
Now, Branch has spoken out to USA Today about it all, admitting he acted a "little childish."
“I did a little childish thing,” Branch told Colton Pouncy of The Athletic after the Chiefs defeated the Lions. “But I’m tired of people doing stuff in between the plays and the ref don’t catch it, trying to bully me out there."
He acknowledged to the publication: “But I shouldn't have did it. It was childish.”
"I got blocked in the back illegally, and... the ref didn't do anything, and just stuff like that. I could have gotten hurt off of that," he said. "I still shouldn't have done it, so."
He added, "They did a lot of stuff." But he added, "I apologize," for his own behavior.
"We beat ourselves, honestly," Branch said.
"Brian Branch was involved in something, and there was a little exchange," the announcer says in the viral Chiefs, Lions fight video.
According to USA Today, Branch will likely be disciplined for the incident, noting that he has already "been fined three times in 2025 after being fined seven times last season."
Dan Campbell, the Lions' coach, called Branch's action "inexcusable," according to CBS Sports.
"I got blocked in the back illegally," Branch said to The Athletic. "And it was in front of the ref and the ref didn't do anything. And just stuff like that. I coulda got hurt off a that, but I still should not have done that."