Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia says he's had to live with the "mental torture" of being falsely accused of rape 22 years ago ... but insists, "I was innocent then and I'm innocent now."
The background ... Patricia and a college football teammate were accused of raping a 21-year-old woman in 1996 during a spring break trip to South Padre Island, off the coast of Texas.
He was indicted, but the case was eventually dismissed.
Patricia just addressed the media about the case -- and stated over and over again that he was NOT convicted of a crime.