Perhaps not. It is unfortunately true that we, as a society, all too often condition females to believe that they can act with impunity because a man is not supposed to hit back. We don't instill the same lessons in women that we do in men, namely that one should never hit another person. This is, obviously, a moral problem. But it's also a practical problem, because some women, like the young lady in question, don't think thru the possibilities of what could happen if the man wasn't properly taught.
But, since we're playing the hypothetical game, if Brantley wasn't a 300 lb football player who was poised to become an instant millionaire in a few days, his decision to cave in her face would have only been run-of-the-mill stupid as opposed to amazingly idiotic. Even in the heat of the moment, if he couldn't process the fact that he was dealing with someone who had a heck of a lot less to lose that he did, then he's an absolute idiot, and I hope he enjoys working for her.