The atmosphere in Allen Park surrounding the announcement of the Detroit Lions officially inking Matt Patricia as their new head coach was electric. After all, the Lions were signing one of the most sought-after coordinators in the game today. Fast forward just over 90 days from the big presser and now all reporters want to ask Patricia about is a possible sex scandal he may or may not have been involved in.

It is still very early in the Patricia regime, however, he already seems to be clicking with his players even with these allegations resurfacing.

One player in particular says he is ready to go in 2018 and doesn't believe that these rumors will hurt the team one bit in 2018.

No gossip, just football

Former Seattle Seahawks tight end Luke Willson was all smiles when he signed a deal to play with the Lions for the upcoming 2018 season. Willson, who grew up in LaSalle, Canada, which happens to be a stone's throw from Detroit, now has a chance to play for the team he grew up rooting for. Not only is this guy pumped to hit the field this fall, he believes that the allegations going around about coach Patricia will not have any bearing on this season's Lions squad.

"I met with Coach Patricia through free agency, called some people that I'd known throughout the league and I've got a pretty good grasp of who I believe Coach Patricia is," he said.

"And you can tell. We've had squad meetings before. I feel very comfortable with him as our leader and, again, it's business as usual around here. It's football." (Mlive).

Willson also added that he believes this issue will be resolved well before the 2018 season begins. Lions fans are hoping the same. On paper, the Lions have one of the better teams in the NFC and the last thing fans, management and players alike want is an outside distraction that overcomes the real reason everyone jams the stadium each week -- to win football games.

NFL investigates

While winning is the top priority, the human nature in all of us wants to know what really happened 22 years ago, and why it is all just coming to light now. When it comes to allegations like this, the answers need to surface somehow.

What seems just as baffling as the accusations themselves, is how they eluded the public eye for 22 years.

The Patriots didn't know about this when they hired him in 2004 -- and it never surfaced once during the Patriots' incredible run of success for over a decade. It is a bit baffling.

In light of the accusations surfacing, Mlive has indicated that the NFL has opened a review of this case, which is the right thing to do. If Patricia is telling the truth, which it seems he is, it will clear his name. Remember, folks, Patricia was only indicted in this case. It never went to trial, and all charges were dismissed. Lions owner, Martha Firestone Ford, along with GM Bob Quinn and president Rod Wood, have continued to support their new coach.
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