BREAKING: Alabama Confirms $20,256 Signing defensive back after crushing LSU
Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch has been fined $20,256 for his actions following a hit on Green Bay Packers wide receiver Bo Melton on Sunday, the NFL announced on Saturday. Branch was flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit during a second-quarter play and was ejected from the game, which the Lions won 24-14. Following his disqualification, Branch received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for his reaction, which included giving the Lambeau Field crowd a double middle-finger gesture.
The NFL issued two fines to Branch, each for $10,128—one for unnecessary roughness due to a hit on a defenseless player and the other for unsportsmanlike conduct for making an obscene gesture. An ejection in the NFL doesn’t lead to a suspension for the following game, so Branch remains eligible to play in Detroit’s upcoming matchup against the Houston Texans at 7:20 p.m. CST on Sunday at NRG Stadium in Houston, with NBC broadcasting the game.
Although Branch’s penalty was notable, his fine wasn’t the highest among the 23 players disciplined by the NFL for infractions in Week 9. One player receiving a larger fine was New York Jets linebacker Quincy Williams, who was fined $11,255 by the NFL for unsportsmanlike conduct due to taunting.
The NFL reported that the taunting incident involving Quincy Williams occurred with 2:33 left in the Jets’ 21-13 win over the Texans on Oct. 31. Although Houston was penalized for delay of game, Williams was not flagged for taunting during the game. The NFL determines fines based on a collectively bargained schedule, which includes guidelines on aggravating and mitigating factors that may influence the fine amounts.
