Violent brawl leaves star player bloodied at end of Chiefs-Lions game: NFL opens investigation

The Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the Detroit Lions ended in anarchy on Sunday with a huge brawl between the two groups of players that left JuJu Smith-Schuster with a bloody nose.

It was sparked by Lions defensive back Brian Branch, who replaced Smith-Schuster late in the game after ignoring Patrick Mahomes when he reached out to shake his hand.

It was announced early Monday morning that the NFL had already launched an investigation into the brawl and that Branch would almost certainly face disciplinary action from the league.

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During the unsavory incident, Smith-Schuster got up from the ground, ran after Branch and pulled him to the ground, prompting players from both teams to pile on.

But the Chiefs receiver had blood streaming from his nose as he was pulled away from the fight. He was then seen holding a towel over his face as he headed to the locker room to get treatment.

Branch catches Chiefs receiver Smith-Schuster on the ground as things go wrong

Chiefs quarterback Mahomes was dismissive of the incident when questioned on the field after tempers calmed.

“I mean, we’re playing the game between the whistles,” Mahomes said, visibly unimpressed. “They can do whatever extracurricular activities they want. We will play the match between the whistles.

Mahomes found himself at the center of the drama as players from both sides surrounded Branch and Smith-Schuster, with the Chiefs man desperately trying to keep his players from getting involved.

Branch received no support from his Lions head coach either. Speaking at his post-match press conference, Dan Campbell was asked about the incident and said: “I love Brian Branch but what he did is inexcusable and it will not be accepted here.

Smith-Schuster had blood streaming from his nose as Chiefs officials took him away from the fight

Players from both teams quickly came together, some breaking up the match and others getting physical.

“That’s not what we do and that’s not what we do. I apologized to Coach Reid, the Chiefs and Smith-Schuster. That’s not what we do. He knows it, our team knows it.

Branch said he was goaded by Smith-Schuster and complained that the referees missed him by getting hit from behind by the Chiefs man during the game.

“I’m tired of people doing stuff between games and the refs not realizing it,” Branch said. “They’re trying to intimidate me there. (I) I shouldn’t have done it. I got blocked illegally from the back, it was in front of the referee and the referee didn’t do anything.

“Just stuff like that.” I could have gotten hurt during the game. I still shouldn’t have done that. There was a lot of stuff but I shouldn’t have shown it and I apologize for that.

Speaking in the locker room, Smith-Schuster insisted he had no lingering resentment toward Branch.

“I know he’s a better player than that, a better person,” the Chiefs man told reporters. “He will learn from his mistakes.”

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said there was “pretty good damage” to Smith-Schuster’s nose.

The Chiefs will face their AFC West rivals, the Las Vegas Raiders, at Arrowhead on Sunday afternoon. Smith-Schuster’s status will become clear over the coming days, but a reinforcement is coming at that wide receiver position with Rashee Rice’s six-game suspension now over.

The Chiefs beat the Lions 30-17 on the night and there were suggestions late Sunday night that Mahomes may have provoked Branch earlier in the game after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter.

Replays showed Mahomes turned and headed toward Branch after reaching the end zone, but it was unclear whether he was specifically targeting the Lions defensive back.

Speaking after the match, Lions coach Dan Campbell made no apologies for the brawl.

Players from both sides piled onto the ground as coaches tried to break up the game.

But after the match, players from both teams downplayed the seriousness of the incident.

Smith-Schuster, however, suggested that Branch’s anger came from being blocked by the wide receiver throughout the game.

“I played between the whistles and after the match he took advantage of what he did,” he said. “He’s a great player, isn’t he?” He’s huge for the team.

“I think after the game, I expect to shake his hand and say, ‘Good game,’ and walk over to Pat. But he punched it. We came out here. We did our job. We won. And that’s all that matters.

The Chiefs are now 3-3 for the season, while the Lions fall to 4-2.