A one-game suspension against Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch was upheld on Wednesday following an appeal.

According to Michael Signora, the NFL's senior vice president of football and international communications, the suspension was upheld by hearing officer Jordy Nelson, who was appointed by the league and the NFL Players Association.

Branch received the suspension without pay on Monday after a post-game altercation Sunday night with Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. The 2023 NFL draft pick was seen hitting Smith-Schuster with an open hand, drawing in players from both teams to intervene. 

In a letter to the 23-year-old, Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan wrote, "Your aggressive, non-football act was entirely unwarranted, posed a serious risk of injury, and clearly violated the standards of conduct and sportsmanship expected of NFL players."

Branch will not be eligible to play on Monday night, Oct. 20, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The altercation came after the Lions fell short of getting their fifth straight win this season, losing 30-17 to the Chiefs.

At the time, Branch told reporters that he apologized for the incident, calling it childish, but defended himself, saying that the altercation with Smith-Schuster stemmed from him getting "blocked in the back illegally" during a play that was not called by the referees.

"I'm tired of people doing stuff in between plays, and refs don't catch it. They be trying to bully me out there. I should've never did it. It was childish," Branch told reporters.

Head coach Dan Campbell called Branch's actions "inexcusible" and that he had a face-to-face conversation with him.

"He knows he can't react that way, and he'll be better for this. He'll learn from," Campbell said on Tuesday.

Campbell added, "He's an outstanding young man ... He's got a big heart, and he made a mistake, and he'll learn from it."

Note: The video above previously aired on Oct. 3, 2025.