Rod Wood Talks Matt Patricia Sexual Assault Allegation, Says Lions Followed Law

Detroit Lions president Rod Wood said Saturday that the organization followed the law in its interviewing and hiring of head coach Matt Patricia.

According to ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein, Wood responded to suggestions the interview process should have uncovered the sexual assault indictment against Patricia in 1996

"There's been a lot of criticism of people interviewing and questions that were asked that are inappropriate, at the combine and et cetera. And we're not one of those teams that are going to do those kind of things whether it's a player, a coach or an employee. We're following the rules and I'd rather follow the rules and maybe end up where I'm at, although we're not happy to be dealing with this, there's no doubt about that.

"But I'd rather be doing that than have broken the rules and had an issue that we were in an unlawful position by having some information. So there's no doubt it's a tough spot to be but I'll take the tough spot by following the rules versus not following the rules and being in an unlawful position."

This week, Robert Snell of the Detroit News reported that Patricia was indicted on a sexual assault charge in 1996 while he was a student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The allegation stemmed from an encounter at spring break in South Padre Island, Texas,

The case never went to trial, as the accuser did not cooperate following the indictment.

Wood and the Lions used a firm to do a background check on Patricia, but federal law prohibited the hiring process taking felony arrests that did not result in convictions beyond seven years old into consideration, per Rothstein.

On Saturday, Wood defended the firm it used in doing its due diligence on Patricia: "We always err on the side of hiring a firm who understands all the laws, follows them, state and federal, so that we don't happen upon something that we're not entitled to have nor would we be able to use."

After news of Patricia's indictment came to light, the former New England Patriots defensive coordinator said, "I was innocent then, and I am innocent now. I was falsely accused of something that I did not do."

In a joint statement from Lions owner Martha Ford, general manager Bob Quinn and Wood, the Lions publicly supported Patricia on Monday, according to Justin Rogers of the Detroit News:

"As an organization, The Detroit Lions take allegations regarding sexual assault or harassment seriously. Coach Patricia was the subject of a standard pre-employment background check which did not disclose this issue. We have 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. 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 43-year-old Patricia has been an NFL coach since joining the Patriots as an offensive assistant in 2004.

He has served in several different roles since then and was the Pats' defensive coordinator from 2012 until his hiring by the Lions this offseason.

The three-time Super Bowl champion was hired to replace Jim Caldwell, who led Detroit to a 9-7 record in 2017.