Both Patricia and his teammate at the time never stood trial and were not convictedGETTY IMAGES
Lions coach Matt Patricia this morning thanked the franchise for supporting him after news of his indictment in '96 on a sexual assault charge was made public, saying he is "thankful to be working for an organization with strong values," according to James Hawkins of the DETROIT NEWS. He said he acts "with respect to all people" and does not "condone any of the type of behavior that has been alleged." Patricia was not convicted, and he said, "I find it unfair that someone would bring something up with the intention of damaging my character." He said the case "never came up" in job interviews, including the one with the Lions, because it was "dismissed and I was innocent" (DETROITNEWS.com, 5/10). In Detroit, Dave Birkett reports the NFL will "look into allegations" that Patricia was "involved in a sex assault during a spring break trip" in '96. NFL VP/Communications Brian McCarthy said, "We will review the matter with the club to understand the allegations and what the club has learned." It is "unclear what, if any, discipline Patricia could face from the NFL over the alleged incident, which happened during his senior year" at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (FREEP.com, 5/10).
THE ORIGINAL REPORT: In Detroit, Robert Snell in a front-page piece reports Patricia was "indicted by a grand jury on one count of aggravated sexual assault," as was a college teammate, though they "never stood trial and were not convicted." The indictment "remained an untold part of Patricia’s past during his rise in the coaching ranks," and the Lions said that it "eluded them during a background check that only searched for criminal convictions." Lions President Rod Wood initially said he did not "know anything about this” when first informed of the charge. However, he said several hours later that his review of the situation only "reinforced the team’s decision to hire Patricia." Wood: "I am very comfortable with the process of interviewing and employing Matt. I will tell you with 1,000-percent certainty that everything I’ve learned confirmed what I already knew about the man and would have no way changed our decision to make him our head coach." Lions Owner & Chair Martha Firestone Ford, lauded by Detroit Police in ‘16 for her “stance against domestic violence and commitment to changing the culture in the NFL, also did not know about the allegations.” Wood added that Lions Exec VP & GM Bob Quinn “did not know about the indictment before Patricia was hired.” Snell reports the month before Patricia was hired, New Jersey-based private investigations firm APG Security “requested copies of the indictment and dismissal from the county prosecutor’s office.” The NFL’s personal conduct policy for players states athletes, coaches and employees all “must avoid ‘conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in’ the league or be subject to discipline” (DETROIT NEWS, 5/10).
WHY NOW? NBCSN's Mike Florio said the "most stunning aspect" of the Patricia news is "that it went 22 years and we didn't know about it." Florio said Patricia was "hired in New England at a very low level." Florio: "I don’t think they look into every nook and cranny and turn over every rock for somebody that they’re bringing in in a quality control setting. When you go in at a low level and work your way up, by the time someone else is hiring Matt Patricia to be their head coach, I think there are assumptions made that if there was anything to know we would have known it by now" ("PFT," NBCSN, 5/10). FS1’s Shannon Sharpe said this is a "very, very bad look" for both Patricia and the Lions, as Patricia "had a duty to disclose this information" to the team. Meanwhile, the Ford family has “unlimited resources” and there is “no way you miss this." FS1’s Skip Bayless asked, “How did the Detroit Lions, a foundation National Football League team that’s been there forever, a cornerstone, how do you not know this?” FS1's Joy Taylor: "The whole situation lacks respect for the climate that we're in right now for actual victims and just a complete lack of self-awareness” ("Undisputed," FS1, 5/10). YAHOO SPORTS' Dan Wetzel notes Patricia "should have told" the Lions of the charge, but it is "understandable why he didn’t." Simply the "allegation may have cost him not just this job, but his entire career" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 5/10).
