It has been more than 20 years since Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia was accused of sexual assault, but the case is being treated as new information by the NFL.
On Thursday, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement that the league is reviewing the allegations against Patricia to better understand the situation and what the Lions have learned about it.
From @NFLprguy on the recent news regarding #Lions coach Matt Patricia and a past allegation that came to light last night: "We will review the matter with the club to understand the allegations and what the club has learned."
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 10, 2018
The NFL can basically do whatever it wants when it comes to disciplinary action, especially when dealing with sexual assault and domestic violence. As an article published by the Detroit News highlighted, Patricia and one of his Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute teammates and fraternity brothers, Greg Dietrich, were accused in 1996 of bursting into a room and taking turns sexually assaulting a woman they had met during a spring break trip to South Padre Island in Texas. The woman identified Patricia and Dietrich as the assailants. The two were arrested and later released on bond.
Patricia and Dietrich were charged with sexual assault and indicted by a grand jury, but they never stood trial. Record show the woman did not want to proceed with the case and stand trial.
The Lions say they were not aware of the case until after they hired Patricia, though they are standing by him. Patricia indicated that the case never going to trial resulted in him never being able to clear his name after he was “falsely accused.”
