"He's not a thug": Lions HC Dan Campbell comes to Brian Branch's support as safety faces outrage after being suspended

2 hours ago 1

4AllThings Android App

Dan Campbell has come to the defense of one of his players after a highly publicized incident.

Last Sunday, as the Detroit Lions' 17-30 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs was being confirmed, Brian Branch was approached at Patrick Mahomes for a handshake. The third-year safety refused, then slapped wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to initiate a brawl.

After the game, Branch said:

•

“I did a little childish thing. 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."

Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!

The day after the incident, the NFL announced that he would be suspended for one game - the Lions' Monday Night Football matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Vice president of football operations Jon Runyan wrote in a letter:

“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. Your conduct reflected poorly on the NFL and has no place in our game.”

Amidst public condemnation of his player's actions, Campbell defended Branch during his appearance on 97.1 The Ticket on Wednesday:

"Brian Branch is not a bad person, he's not a thug."

"Brian Branch is not a bad person, he's not a thug." -- Lions coach Dan Campbell. The average person will not understand how important it was for Dan Campbell to say that publicly. It's a coded meaning behind that word when people use it to address Black athletes.

He also confirmed that the NFL's video review office in New York was involved in overturning a receiving touchdown that Jared Goff made on the opening drive of the game, refuting referee Craig Wrolstad's account stating otherwise.

Lions HC Dan Campbell expects DT Alim McNeill to play vs Buccaneers

Speaking of the Buccaneers game, Dan Campbell expects to have a key defender back - Alim McNeill, who tore his ACL in December. In the same podcast appearance, the coach said that the defensive tackle would be "freakin' playing" once he cleared his 21-day window:

"Listen, it's his first game back, so he'll have to shake off a couple of cobwebs. But after what I've seen, it won't take long. It's good to have him back. He's certainly one of our pieces. He's a pivotal piece to what we do here, and he's gonna help us."

Campbell also expounded on McNeill's importance to the team:

"Everybody loves [McNeill] and they know what kind of teammate he is... He's the type of guy who elevates the guys around him and he will elevate their level of play or their production with just him being out there, because he's gonna draw a little bit attention or they're gonna have to."

Kickoff for the Lions-Buccaneers game is at 7 pm ET on ABC.

Why did you not like this content?

Clickbait / Misleading
Factually Incorrect
Hateful or Abusive
Baseless Opinion
Too Many Ads
Other

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback

About the author

Andre Castillo

Andre Castillo is an NFL journalist at Sportskeeda who holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Master’s degree in Journalism. He has over seven years of working experience and has also covered MMA with FanSided, wrestling with The Sportster, and automobiles with Hot Cars.

Andre follows the New York Jets and the Washington Commanders, mostly because he likes their colors. His favorite position is tight end, and players like Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce have always drawn Andre's attention when watching a game. Bill Belichick is his favorite coach, and his all-time favorite Super Bowl is the XLII edition, when the underdog New York Giants upset the then-undefeated New England Patriots.

If he can change one moment in NFL history, it will be from the NFC Championship Game in January 2019. In that game, a highly controversial no-call cost the Saints what would have been Drew Brees' second Super Bowl visit, where he would have faced Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Andre is always on the lookout for fresh perspectives in a story and ensures complete factual accuracy by double-checking all information before using it in his articles. He has an innate understanding of how to present information in an efficient and compelling way.

Outside the writing realm, Andre is a professional licensed teacher. His hobbies include watching UFC, MotoGP, playing the piano, and travelling.

Know More

Edited by Andre Castillo

Read Entire Article