Uncovering the unique things that make celebrities special is one of the more entertaining aspects of covering sports. Speaking of which, new Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia opened up about one of his off-field passions, which many of us can certainly identify with. He’s a self-proclaimed “huge” fan of the “Star Wars” universe.
Speaking with Kyle Meinke of MLive.com, Patricia said the first thing he wants to do when he gets some down time is, “sit down in a giant room all by myself and watch ‘Star Wars.'”
“I still have a Millennium Falcon up in my room at my parents house,” he said. “This is major for me.”
His son discovered Patricia’s vintage collection as a youngster, sparking a fun moment between the two.
“Dominic was like 4 or 5 when he found them,” Patricia said, referring to his son. “So here he is running around my parents house with all my ‘Star Wars’ figures from the ’70s. I still have the vintage ones, you know. And I was running right behind him, and it was just like the most bizarre thing.”
Patricia said he saw the original “Star Wars” back in 1977 and was spellbound. He said he’s not been able to see “Rogue One” and “The Last Jedi” because they are being released right during peak NFL season.
“These things come out in December,” he said. “They’re killing me, because I can’t go. I just want to go sit by myself and watch this. I want to dial in.”
For the sake of the Lions and their fans, let’s hope Patricia continues to be stymied by the December release dates.
He’s been tasked with resurrecting a franchise that hasn’t seen much success in the past the early-1990s. The last playoff game the Lions won came all the way back in 1991 when Barry Sanders was still toting the rock and making defenders look silly.
Needless to say, Patricia has his hands full.