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Lions' Luke Willson: Matt Patricia's 1996 sexual assault charges not a distraction

Allen Park — Detroit Lions tight end Luke Willson is standing behind his coach and doesn’t believe last week’s revelation that Matt Patricia had been indicted on sexual assault charges two decades ago will be a distraction as the team begins preparing for the 2018 season.

“We’re professional athletes,” Willson said. “You guys heard what Coach Patricia said in the statement and we heard what Coach Patricia said in the team room and we’re ready to move on and get better at football. You guys all know, it’s a cutthroat environment, the NFL is, it’s a competitive environment around here, so it’s one of those things where we have to focus on football.