Whatever happened in 1996 isn’t going to follow Matt Patricia to Detroit -- at least not by NFL standards. The honeymoon period for the Lions and their new head coach took a turn for the worse when sexual assault allegations appeared out of the blue, however, according to the latest report, the NFL isn’t going to go after the Detroit Lions front office or Patricia.
Business as usual
According to FOX News, the NFL announced Monday afternoon that they will not discipline the Detroit Lions or their newly acquired head coach Matt Patricia over a sexual assault allegation against the coach from 1996.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy indicated in a statement that the office of the NFL reviewed the matter with the Lions and he believes that the club engaged in appropriate and thorough hiring practices.
Patricia was never convicted of any crime, however, he was indicted 22 years ago by a Texas grand jury on one count each of aggravated sexual assault. The reported incident took place on South Padre Island. Due to the accuser refusing to testify, the case ended up being dismissed.
In a press conference one day after these rumors came to light, Patricia said two simple sentences that he wanted everyone to know: "I was innocent then, and I am innocent now."
Patricia was officially hired by the Lions back in February, replacing Jim Caldwell as the new man in charge.
His success in his 14 seasons with the New England Patriots, the last six as defensive coordinator, has Lions fans hoping he can mold their team, especially the defense, into a winner.
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Now that the Lions can hopefully put coach Patricia’s past in the past, focusing on building a winning team is all the players and staff want to talk about.
Detroit bolstered their wide receiver corps by picking a player who formerly wore the Red, White, and Blue of the New England Patriots. Mlive indicates that the Lions continued to add to their receiver rotation with another big-bodied wideout by claiming Chris Lacy off waivers from New England. Lacy is 6-foot-3, which would make him Detroit’s second tallest WR behind Kenny Golladay, who is 6-4.
Lacy is the fourth rookie wideout to be added to Detroit's roster, and the odds of him making the team are a bit high. However, new coach Matt Patricia said he wants guys with skills and height, so you never know.
The Lions' roster now has 12 receivers on it as they prepare for minicamp. They are also returning all four of their top wideouts from a year ago, but don’t think that that means Lacy can’t make the squad this fall, especially with his size and ability to be a key blocker, as well as catch the ball. Detroit may do everything they can to keep the former Oklahoma State wideout in hopes of developing his skills down the road.