Matt Araiza is Released After a Gang-Rape Lawsuit

Punter Matt Araiza was cut by the Buffalo Bills two days after a civil lawsuit was filed accusing him and two of his former San Diego State teammates of gang-raping a child. They are each charged with rape, gender-based violence, and wrongful imprisonment.

Brandon Beane, general manager of the Bills, said Saturday night that “this is bigger than football.” “Just take a step back and leave things in Araiza’s capable hands. We considered that to be the most crucial factor”.

The choice to release Araiza was made earlier that afternoon, according to Beane, who revealed it at a news conference held in the team’s fieldhouse more than two hours after practice ended.

Araiza did not participate in Saturday’s practice:

After being excluded from Friday’s exhibition game against the Carolina Panthers, Araiza did not participate in Saturday’s practice. He didn’t watch the game from the sidelines or hang out in the locker room afterward. Since the civil lawsuit was filed, he took the team plane back to Buffalo and avoided speaking to the media.

Friday’s game-time announcement from Araiza read in part: “The incident’s facts are not as they are described in the complaint or in the media. I look forward to speedily establishing the truth”.

The seriousness of the charges and the lack of resources prevent us from putting all the pieces together, according to Beane. “There are several accounts of what transpired, and while I’m a general manager, [Sean McDermott] is a football coach. Football isn’t the most essential thing since we don’t have access to everything. We want Matt to concentrate on that, therefore”.

The team had received the “boulders” of what Jane Doe, the plaintiff, was alleging:

When the organization’s assistant general counsel Kathryn D’Angelo communicated with the plaintiff’s attorney, Dan Gilleon, in late July, Beane confirmed that the team had received the “boulders” of what Jane Doe, the plaintiff, was alleging. Gilleon “laid out some of the things that they were accusing Matt and others of” during that call, according to Beane.

As for the team’s inquiry, Beane said, “We did the best we could with the resources we had, talking to the league, using our staff to try to discover information.” “In the end, though, there are still many things that we do not fully understand. We simply wanted to act as responsibly and thoughtfully as we could and avoid making snap decisions.”

In response to emails he wrote to various members of the Bills’ legal team on July 30 and 31, Gilleon informed ESPN that there had only ever been one interaction between Jane Doe’s legal team and the team.

If Doe’s remarks were sufficient for the team, Beane said in the affirmative “You’re attempting to avoid passing judgment too quickly, and since Matt’s account was different, you want to give everyone the maximum amount of due process. Once more, we are not a judge or a jury”.

It “conducted a thorough assessment of this subject:

The group claimed in a statement issued on Thursday that it “conducted a thorough assessment of this subject.” Beane noted on Saturday that since the examination wasn’t finished, the team presumably ought to have stated that it was “ongoing”.

The lawsuit accuses Araiza, who was 21 at the time, of engaging in sexual activity outside of an off-campus party hosted at his home in the early morning hours of October 17, 2021, with a high school senior who was then 17 years old and thus not of legal age to consent in the state of California. In the home, where at least three other men were present, including the other two defendants named in the lawsuit. Zavier Leonard, a redshirt freshman with the Aztecs, and Nowlin Ewaliko, who is no longer on the team’s roster. The suit claims that Araiza then took the victim and that she was raped repeatedly for about an hour and a half. According to the claim, she was bleeding from her vagina and her nose, and her belly button. Her ear piercings were taken out throughout the actions.

Despite speaking with the girl at the party, Araiza’s criminal attorney, Kerry Armstrong, told ESPN that the rape accusations are “simply untrue”.

Armstrong stated in a statement, “He must be very angry and unhappy that his career with the Bills came to an end not because he performed poorly, but rather because of unfounded accusations made against him by a young woman and her lawyer. He should return to the NFL shortly, I hope”.

Beane said he was unable to recall whether Jane Doe’s lawyer, Gilleon, or Araiza, had done so:

Regarding the exact moment the Bills were made aware of the allegations, Beane said he was unable to recall whether Jane Doe’s lawyer, Gilleon, or Araiza, had done so. At approximately the same moment, according to Beane, both events occurred.

Five current or former San Diego State football players were linked to a rape in a June 3 Los Angeles Times article, but a follow-up article featuring more of Doe’s perspective was released on July 29. Several sources have reported that both sides contacted the Bills after the second story had been out.

In the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Bills selected Araiza. Before the draught, according to Beane, they went out to a double-digit number of clubs, but “no one had anything on this.” Araiza attracted a lot of attention during the preseason as he punted 82 yards against the Denver Broncos.

 

The Buffalo Bills were forced to terminate their promising punter after mishandling their reaction to our claim, according to a statement from Gilleon. “They disregarded us, seemingly believing that if they would just keep their heads in the sand, they might prevent what I had forewarned them would occur. Enablers act in this manner.”

The San Diego Police Department turned over its investigation to the district attorney’s office, and San Diego State opened an investigation under the system-wide policy of the California State University system into the alleged incidents.

Araiza would not be subject to the league’s personal conduct rules:

The NFL acknowledged knowledge of the complaint in a statement but chose to remain silent. Araiza would not be subject to the league’s personal conduct rules because the alleged rape occurred before he was drafted.

Terry Pegula, an owner of the Bills, was kept informed of the situation as it developed, but Beane claimed that Kim Pegula, whose function has not been made public around the team since a health concern was initially disclosed on June 14. His absence from it is unexplained, was not contacted.

On Monday, the Bills fired Matt Haack, who had been the team’s punter for 2021. He had replaced him with Araiza for 2022. There are no punters on the team’s roster. For the Bills against the Panthers, quarterback Matt Barkley punted four times.

“That’s a difficult one. You can question if that decision was the right one “Beane expressed his pleasure with the data acquired on Araiza, allowing the group to release Haack. If this or a circumstance similar to it occurs in the future, we will certainly take that into consideration.

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