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Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin said Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch was doing “the work of the Lord” when he got into it with Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Branch and Smith-Schuster were at the center of a scrum following the Chiefs’ 30-17 win over the Lions on Sunday, and Franklin was all for it.
“JuJu needed his a– whooped,” Franklin said during a recent appearance on the “Club 520 Podcast.”
“Let’s just go there … He’s been needing his a– whooped for a minute. Brian Branch is doing the work of the Lord.”
Franklin called Smith-Schuster an “a—–” for how he plays.
“(Smith-Schuster’s) an a—–, bro,” Franklin said. “This is my thing, I’m gonna talk greasy to you. We gonna go right up. And when we get that one-on-one, I ain’t gonna duck the smoke. So if I win or lose, it is what it is. He the type that’s gonna do all the little weird, sneaky stuff, push you behind the back, go run to the ref … then try to be cool with you after.”
Franklin referenced photos that circulated online after the fight that showed Smith-Schuster with a bloody nose, and he made fun of the Chiefs wide receiver for it.
“Bro, you can’t be crying with your nose (bloody). You got kids, bro,” Franklin said. “Like, what’s going to happen with your son? C’mon, bro. … I really be feeling like, bro, I can’t let y’all — my son in the stands, I can’t let you put your hands on me. My girl watching. She might like you now after this. Like, what, I’m going to tell my girl when I come home I just got my a– whooped on Sunday night.”
While Franklin might have loved the scrum, the Lions certainly did not. The NFL suspended Branch for one game, and he lost his appeal.
The Lions will be without their star safety for their Week 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Lions head coach Dan Campbell condemned Branch’s actions.
“I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable, and it’s not going to be accepted here. It’s not what we do. It’s not what we’re about,” Campbell said after the game. “I apologized to coach (Andy) Reid and the Chiefs, and Smith-Schuster.
“That’s not OK. That’s not what we do here. It’s not going to be OK. He knows it. Our team knows it. That’s not what we do.”
Branch called his decision to start the scuffle “childish.”
“It was a childish thing, but I’m tired of people doing stuff in between the play and refs don’t catch it,” Branch said. “They be trying to bully me out there. I should have never did it. It was childish.”
The incident occurred when Patrick Mahomes was shown trying to shake hands with Branch. The Lions safety ignored Mahomes, which prompted Smith-Schuster to go over to Branch.
After exchanging words, Branch slapped Smith-Schuster across the helmet. As the fracas unfolded and players attempted to separate the two, Branch pulled Smith-Schuster’s helmet off.
Branch’s postgame outburst was not the first time unsportsmanlike conduct has hurt him, as he has already been fined this season. He was docked $23,186 for facemask and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against the Green Bay Packers in September.
Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
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