The Detroit Lions are in a bit of a dilemma with their new head coach Matt Patricia, as sexual assault allegations from 1996 have come to light in a piece from The Detroit News. One of the biggest questions is regarding the Lions' lack of knowledge of the situation.
With that in mind, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick released a statement on behalf of the organization about their former defensive coordinator, making it clear that the team was not aware of the charges while voicing his support for him. From Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
Bill Belichick’s statement on Matt Patricia. Defends Patricia as a man of integrity, said Patriots didn’t know of the allegations either pic.twitter.com/5Y5sbhMkG9
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) May 10, 2018
It has become quite evident that this situation was not something that the Patriots or Lions knew about over the last 22 years. Patricia has already spoken out against it, publicly expressing his innocence while stating that he was falsely accused of an aggravated sexual assault that led to an indictment in Texas in 1996.
The indictment didn't go to trial, as the case was dismissed in January 1997 after the victim was unable to testify and couldn't provide a date for when she was available to do so. In fact, the woman decided to dismiss the case, making a trial void.
This has at least raised questions about Patricia that will lead to the league conducting their own investigation into the matter to get a better idea of what exactly transpired. More should come out on this front over the next few weeks as a result. The Lions will certainly monitor this situation moving forward.
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