Most NFL fans have seen it. After the Kansas City Chiefs had defeated the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football in Week 6, and as players were shaking hands, Lions defensive back Brian Branch smacked Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin believes he knows who is at fault.
It isn't the person throwing his hand, either. It is the receiver who took the smack.
To be fair, Branch likely understood that he wasn't going to hurt Smith-Schuster. The receiver still had his helmet on. The situation was more about pride and hurt feelings than something where a player would truly be injured or suffer physical pain.
Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin points a finger in the JuJu Smith-Schuster and Brian Branch snafu
Franklin thinks Smith-Schuster deserves more, though. He was very clear in his thoughts on a recent episode of the Club 520 podcast.
The Colts' team leader said, "First of all, JuJu needed his a** whooped. Him, specifically, really needs his a** whooped...Brian Branch is doing the work of the Lord. He's an a******, bro. He's the type that does all the weird, sneaky stuff behind your back and go run to the ref (to complain)."
Of course, Branch didn't truly get into fisticuffs with Smith-Schuster, and Branch was the one disciplined as he was suspended for a game for smacking the Chiefs receiver. Still, the defensive back would have likely wanted to punch the receiver, and Franklin would have understood why.
Zaire Franklin has never been one to hold back from conveying his real feelings. He called out Colts' QB1 Daniel Jones's former team, the New York Giants, in 2024 because New York was a big market team and, well...bad.
If the linebacker, who is still only 29 years old, is already looking at what a post-NFL career might look like, being an analyst on a pre-game show or podcast host might be the way to go. He's good at it. He has strong views, and he speaks them, and he seemingly doesn't care if people are going to disagree with him.
One might just wonder how many other NFL defensive players agree with him about JuJu Smith-Schuster. Likely, a lot. Zaire Franklin probably wouldn't espouse his views so freely if many other players were nodding along with his words. One might also wonder how players react to the wide receiver on the field the rest of the season.