Defiant Patricia only says what he didn’t do
MATT PATRICIA continues to vehemently deny allegations from a 1996 sexual assault indictment. Meanwhile, the NFL plans to look further into the matter as the Lions support their new head coach.
Patricia, 43, held a press conference Thursday to address the prior day’s Detroit News report that revealed he and a friend were indicted on one count of aggravated sexual assault during a spring break trip to South Padre Island, Texas when he was a 21-year-old student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
The Lions head coach — who said “I was innocent then, and I’m innocent now” — called the allegations “false” and claimed they were fabricated.
“I’m here to defend my honor and clear my name,” Patricia stated. “Twenty-two years ago I was falsely accused of something very serious and serious allegations. There were claims made about me that never happened. While I’m thankful on one level that the process worked and the case was dismissed, in the meantime, I was never given the opportunity to defend myself or to allow to push back and let truth to clear my name.”
Patricia and his friend had been accused of breaking into a woman’s hotel room while she was asleep to take “turns violently sexually assaulting her.”
The case never went to trial and was dismissed in January 1997, because the woman refused to testify. She didn’t think she could “face the pressures or stress of a trial,” according to court documents.
The Lions said they were unaware of the incident upon hiring Patricia but team owner Martha Firestone Ford, president Rod Wood and GM Bob Quinn were in the room as he spoke on Thursday and issued a statement of support for him on Wednesday night
Patricia said he is “100 percent” still the Lions head coach; meanwhile, the NFL will further investigate the indictment. “We will review the matter with the club to understand the allegations and what the club has learned,” an NFL spokesman said in a statement to the Daily News on Thursday. Patricia also painted himself as the victim during his press conference, calling it a traumatic experience and added he has lived with “mental torture where facts could be completely ignored, or misrepresented with disregard to consequence and pain it would create for another person.”
He added that his parents raised him the right way and to “stand up for what’s right and for those who have been wronged.”
“I believe and have always acted with respect to all people knowing everyone is someone’s dad, sister, brother, son or daughter,” he said. “I do not condone any of the type of behavior that’s been alleged and never have. I’ve always been someone who respects and protects the rights of anyone who has been harassed or victim of violence and we as an organization continue to operate that way. In these times we need to be more sensitive and responsible and separate right from wrong. Thankfully, the
truth is on my side.”
Patricia spent the last 14 years in the Patriots organization as a defensive coach and his national profile raised as defensive coordinator the last six years, which included two Super Bowl victories.
“The New England Patriots were not aware of the matter which recently came to light,” Bill Belichick said in a statement. “For 14 years in our organization, Matt conducted himself with great integrity and is known to be an outstanding coach, person and family man. We have always been confident in Matt’s character and recommended him highly to become the head coach of the Detroit Lions.”
Patricia said in interviewing for jobs the last 22 years, the indictment had never been an issue, adding that it never came up during his interview process with the Lions.
He also interviewed for head coach of the Giants this offseason and was a strong favorite before ultimately deciding to go to Detroit.