Lions defend vetting of Matt Patricia during hiring process

The Detroit Lions again defended themselves Saturday after they hired head coach Matt Patricia without discovering that he faced a sexual assault indictment in 1996.

Lions president Rod Wood said the team followed all laws and protocols properly during the hiring process, which prevented them from learning about the allegation.

“We always err on the side of hiring a firm who understands all the laws, follows them, state and federal, so that we don’t happen upon something that we’re not entitled to have nor would we be able to use,” Wood told ESPN’s Michael Rothstein on Saturday.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act prevents felony arrests that did not end in convictions from being considered by potential employers, so the Lions were not even made aware of the indictment as part of the background check. Wood defended the firm used to background check Patricia, calling them “a well-regarded, national professional background screening company,” though he declined to name them.

“There’s been a lot of criticism of people interviewing and questions that were asked that are inappropriate, at the combine and et cetera. And we’re not one of those teams that are going to do those kind of things, whether it’s a player, a coach or an employee,” Wood said. “We’re following the rules, and I’d rather follow the rules and maybe end up where I’m at, although we’re not happy to be dealing with this, there’s no doubt about that.

“But I’d rather be doing that than have broken the rules and had an issue that we were in an unlawful position by having some information. So there’s no doubt it’s a tough spot to be, but I’ll take the tough spot by following the rules versus not following the rules and being in an unlawful position.”

A lot of people from Patricia’s past say they were unaware of the allegation. Patricia himself has denied all wrongdoing.