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Update: NFL to Review 1996 Sexual Assault Allegations Against Lions' Matt Patricia

May 10, 2018, 11:42 AM


Matt Patricia

Update, Thursday 11:44 a.m.:- The Matt Patricia allegations aren't going to vanish quickly.

The NFL issued a statement Thursday morning saying it will review allegations that the Detroit Lions coach was involved in a sex assault during a spring break trip in 1996, the Detroit Free Press reports.

"We will review the matter with the club to understand the allegations and what the club has learned," league spokesman Brian McCarthy wrote in a statement.

Patricia and his friend and former college teammate, Greg Dietrich, were indicted but never prosecuted for assaulting a college student during a 1996 trip to South Padre Island in Texas, the Freep reports. The case was dropped after the witness declined to testify.

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Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia is playing defense in the #metoo era.

Robert Snell of The Detroit News reports that in 1996 Patricia and a friend, who were at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Texas, were indicted on charges that they burst into an upscale hotel room in Texas and sexually assaulted a woman. The woman declined to testify in court and the charges were dismissed in January 1997 before the case could be prosecuted.

On Wednesday night, Patricia, 43, pushed back forcefully. The Detroit Free Press posts his statement:

"As someone who was falsely accused of this very serious charge over 22 years ago, and never given the opportunity to defend myself and clear my name, I find it incredibly unfair, disappointing and frustrating that this story would resurface now with the only purpose being to damage my character and reputation. I firmly maintain my innocence, as I have always done.

“I would never condone any of the behavior that was alleged and will always respect and protect the rights of anyone who has been harassed or is the victim of violence. My priorities remain the same — to move forward and strive to be the best coach, teacher, and man that I can possibly be.”

Lions owner Martha Firestone Ford, team president Rod Wood and general manager Bob Quinn issue a joint response: 

"We have spoken to Coach Patricia about this at length as well as the attorney who represented him at the time. Based upon everything we have learned, we believe and have accepted Coach Patricia’s explanation and we will continue to support him."


Read more:  The Detroit News


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