https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/brian-branchs-one-game-suspension-is-upheld
On Monday night against the Buccaneers, the Lions won’t have starting safety Brian Branch.
The NFL has announced that Branch’s one-game suspension was upheld by hearing officer Jordy Nelson. (The fact that Nelson is a member of the Packers Hall of Fame surely won’t rankle any Lions fans.)
Branch incited a brawl by hitting Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in the facemask immediately after Sunday night’s game in Kansas City. The league office imposed the suspension the next day. The precedent was mixed; Branch’s history of fines (10 in two seasons) surely didn’t help his cause.
Branch will be eligible to return to the Lions on Tuesday. Avonte Maddox is the likely replacement for Branch in the Detroit starting lineup.
It’s one of the biggest games of Week 7, with the 5-1 Buccaneers hoping to fend off the Falcons in the NFC South and to stack enough wins to compete for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. With a loss, the Lions will exceed their entire total for 2024, when they finished 15-2.
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/brian-branchs-one-game-suspension-is-upheld
