The Detroit Lions locker room has grown increasingly frustrated with the NFL after a recent NFL Films video appeared to single out safety Brian Branch for criticism. The now-deleted video, part of the league’s “Turning Point” series, was released Thursday and quickly stirred anger among both players and fans.
The short segment aimed to analyze what led to Branch’s late-game frustration during Detroit’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday. Narrated by ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, the clip highlighted several moments where Branch struggled in coverage or took hard hits. To many in Detroit, it came across less as an objective breakdown and more as an unnecessary public embarrassment of the young defensive back.
The backlash was swift. Fans accused NFL Films of unfairly “targeting” Branch, arguing that the video lacked proper game context and ignored his otherwise solid play this season. Within hours, the league deleted the video and admitted to The Athletic that, while the analysis worked within the full nine-minute version, the edited segment “felt overly critical of Brian Branch.”
Louis Riddick himself addressed the controversy on social media, clarifying that there was never any intent to demean Branch or the Lions. “I completely understand how the clip could be perceived as trying to cast Brian or Detroit in an unfavorable light,” Riddick wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Despite the apology, Detroit’s players were visibly upset. Star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said he was shocked when he first saw the video online. “I thought that video was crazy. I didn’t even know if it was real at first,” St. Brown said, via ESPN’s Eric Woodyard. “I don’t know what they got out of posting that.”
Veteran defensive tackle DJ Reader echoed those sentiments, saying the video made him question whether players could “trust the shield” — a reference to the NFL’s logo and the league’s supposed commitment to protecting its athletes.
Branch, who was already facing scrutiny after throwing a punch at JuJu Smith-Schuster that led to a one-game suspension, has now found himself at the center of a broader conversation about how the NFL portrays its players. To many in Detroit’s locker room, the video felt like the league was piling on a young player already dealing with the consequences of a mistake.
While NFL Films has since apologized and taken the clip down, the damage may already be done. For the Lions, this incident has only strengthened their unity — and their resolve to defend one of their own.
