On Thursday, NFL Films released its latest “NFL Turning Point” video as part of its online video series on ESPN. In an effort to promote the show, NFL Films posted a strange and frankly insulting video centered around recently suspended Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch. A few hours after posting the video, amidst backlash from Detroit fans, writers, NFL players, and more, NFL Films took their post down from their platforms.
While NFL Films deleted their posts, the internet never forgets and the video quickly found it’s way back online. By Friday, the NFL Films video had made its rounds to different media outlets, eventually leading to NFL Films and Louis Riddick (the narrator of the video) offering up statements.
Here’s what the NFL had to say:
NFL Films wants all of its shows to have a distinct voice and point of view. In the case of “NFL Turning Point,” that voice and point of view is Louis Riddick’s. He spends time every week with the show’s producers watching each segment and going over the script before narrating them. That particular sequence felt different to NFL Films as part of a 9-minute breakdown of the Lions-Chiefs game than it did as a standalone excerpt on social media. On X, it felt overly critical to Brian Branch so it was taken down.
And here’s Riddick’s response via Twitter:
The Detroit Lions organization is one that I have nothing but respect for. Ownership, Head Coach, General Manager, and players.
Fast forward to this week, the “Turning Point” episode that was voiced by me recently that covered the Chiefs/Lions game didn’t come across the way it should have. The intent is to collaboratively, as a group, document the events of game. Good and bad. There is NEVER an intent to do a “hit piece” on anyone or any team. That being said, I can see how the short clip that was posted could be taken as an attempt to cast the #Lions or Brian Branch in a calculated, unfavorable manner. I don’t want to be a part of that. I will be sure to make certain that anything that has my name attached to it will never again leave room for it to be interpreted that way in the future.
Neither of these statements offers an apology, and both come across more as finger-pointing than actual accountability. The NFL statement appears to shift the blame to Riddick, despite acknowledging that their producers were involved in the creation process and are the ones responsible for editing, cutting, and posting the video on social media. Riddick’s statement isn’t much better, as it appears to try to shift the blame to the NFL Films editorial team.
Meanwhile, the Lions media met with several Lions players on Friday, and their responses to the unfolding event varied from disappointment to anger. Here are a few of the responses published throughout the Detroit media:
Lions reserve offensive tackle Dan Skipper, via Dave Birkett of the Free Press
”A smear campaign against BB (Branch) from the shield.”
“Whoever pushed that should be ashamed, whoever thought we should really highlight this should be ashamed and Louis Riddick should certainly be ashamed.”
Skipper later added, via Kory Woods of MLive:
“I just thought it was a pretty weak move. Obviously, they’re protected by the shield, so I can’t speak too much into it. I might already have received a letter (fine) — we’ll see. I’m going to try to avoid receiving a letter here in the future.”
Amik Robertson and Alex Anzalone, via the Free Press:
Robertson said, “I feel like it was kind of messed up.”
Anzalone, standing near Robertson’s locker, said, “Kind of?”
Defensive tackle DJ Reader was equally as blunt, sharing his thoughts via ESPN’s Eric Woodyard:
”As a player, how can you trust the [NFL] shield now? If y’all want to release this and this is how you’re shedding light on it. You’ve got to play for your organization, you trust them and the people you work, but as far as like the shield, people up there in New York? I can’t trust them.
“I can’t believe that they’re truly gonna have my back or they care about my safety or well-being. People who care about you don’t do that.”
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