NFL will review Detroit Lions' Matt Patricia sexual assault case

The NFL said in a statement Thursday morning it will look into allegations that Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia was involved in a sex assault during a spring break trip in 1996.

"We will review the matter with the club to understand the allegations and what the club has learned," league spokesman Brian McCarthy wrote in a statement.

Patricia and his friend and former college teammate, Greg Dietrich, were indicted but never prosecuted for assaulting a college student during a 1996 trip to South Padre Island in Texas.

According to a 1996 news story of the incident by the Brownsville (Texas) Herald, the co-ed accused Patricia and Dietrich of bursting into a room at the Radisson hotel and taking turns assaulting her.

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Patricia denied the allegations in a written statement Wednesday night, and is expected to address reporters in a previously scheduled press conference at 11:45 a.m. Thursday.

"As someone who was falsely accused of this very serious charge over 22 years ago, and never given the opportunity to defend myself and clear my name, I find it incredibly unfair, disappointing, and frustrating that this story would resurface now with the only purpose being to damage my character and reputation," the statement read. "I firmly maintain my innocence, as I have always done.

“I would never condone any of the behavior that was alleged and will always respect and protect the rights of anyone who has been harassed or is the victim of violence. My priorities remain the same — to move forward and strive to be the best coach, teacher, and man that I can possibly be.”

The Lions said in a statement Wednesday they were not aware of the allegations during their coaching search this winter, when they focused on Patricia, a former colleague of Lions general manager Bob Quinn with the New England Patriots, from the start.

In the statement, which was attributed to Quinn, Lions president Rod Wood and owner Martha Firestone Ford, the team said it since has "spoken to Coach Patricia about this at length as well as the attorney who represented him at the time."

"Based upon everything we have learned, we believe and have accepted Coach Patricia’s explanation and we will continue to support him," the statement said. "We will continue to work with our players and the NFL to further awareness of and protections for those individuals who are the victims of sexual assault or violence.”

The Patriots have not responded to questions about whether they were aware of the allegations during Patricia's 14 years of employment with the team.

It's unclear what, if any, discipline Patricia could face from the NFL over the alleged incident, which happened during his senior year at RPI.

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

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