Dan Campbell has come to the defense of one of his players after a highly publicized incident.
Last Sunday, as the Detroit Lions’ 30-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs was being confirmed, Brian Branch approached Patrick Mahomes for a handshake. The third-year safety refused, then slapped wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, initiating 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.”
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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.”
Amid 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 p.m. ET on ABC.