After the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Detroit Lions 30-17 on October 12, 2025, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was spotted shaking hands with Lions safety Brian Branch. The handshake came right after a heated postgame clash between Branch and Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. This has prompted fans to talk about sportsmanship and player conduct.
Travis Kelce spotted shaking hands with Lions player after a controversial brawl
The tension boiled over after the game when Brian Branch refused a handshake from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and then shoved JuJu Smith-Schuster in the face mask. This led to a full-on bench-clearing brawl with players from both teams getting involved.
Branch later called his own actions “childish” and blamed his outburst on frustration over missed calls during the game. He said, “I did a little childish thing,” adding, “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.”
Later, Travis Kelce was seen offering Brian Branch a handshake to calm things down and show some sportsmanship. The NFL has also opened an investigation into the incident, and the latter could face disciplinary action.
Dan Campbell, Branch’s coach, didn’t hold back on criticizing him. He said he loves Branch, but what he did was totally inexcusable and won’t be tolerated on the team. Campbell also noted that Branch would apologize to Chiefs coach Andy Reid and to JuJu Smith-Schuster. “This isn’t how we do things at the Detroit Lions,” he said. “It’s not what we’re about.”
JuJu Smith-Schuster also recognizes that Brian Branch acted in the heat of the moment. He is a better player than this and will learn from his mistake.
Not long ago, Brian Branch was slapped with a $23,186 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct against the Green Bay Packers, his third fine of the season. And this time, he could now be looking at an even bigger penalty, and maybe even a suspension.
