Suspension of Lions safety Brian Branch upheld upon appeal - ESPN

The one-game suspension of Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch was upheld upon appeal Wednesday.

The hearing officer was Jordy Nelson, who was jointly appointed by the NFL and the NFL Players Association.

The NFL on Monday suspended Branch for one game without pay for unsportsmanlike conduct after he struck Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and set off a brief fight Sunday night.

«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,» NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan wrote in a letter to Branch explaining the suspension. «Your conduct reflected poorly on the NFL and has no place in our game.»

Branch will miss the Lions' game Monday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and will be eligible to return to the active roster the following day.

ESPN's Eric Woodyard and The Associated Press contributed to this report.