Lions' Tate calls Matt Patricia coverage 'a bunch of B.S.'

Golden Tate has come to the defense of his new head coach Matt Patricia.

It has recently come to light that Patricia was one of two men arrested and charged with aggravated sexual assault in 1996. The case was dismissed after the woman chose not to testify, and Tate wants to know why the story has resurfaced 22 years later.

"I don't know the full details, but I know inside of our locker room, we support coach Patricia to the max," the Detroit Lions receiver said to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

"There was nothing - didn't even go to court, I think it was thrown out, so why is it even a problem? Honestly, I feel for his family, who have to deal with this right now. And I know that this isn't how we want to start the offseason dealing with this crap, and so it's going to blow over, obviously, it always does."

Patricia has publicly restated his innocence and tried to explain why the matter had been ignored by his previous and current employers. He released a statement on Wednesday and tried to defend his honor to the media on Thursday.

"This situation is completely, to me, unacceptable and a bunch of B.S. that it's even got to this," Tate said.

The Lions hired Patricia in February as the replacement for Jim Caldwell who spent the previous four seasons as Detroit's head coach.

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