Two days after being charged with raping a 17-year-old girl in a civil lawsuit, the Buffalo Bills fired rookie punter Matt Araiza, the team confirmed on Saturday.
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane was forced to fire the team’s rookie punter on Saturday due to a significant response and the graphic details in a lawsuit alleging Matt Araiza’s involvement in gang rape of a teen last fall.
Two days after supporting the player on the basis of what the team described as its “thorough examination” of the charges made in the complaint, the Bills have made a significant U-turn by severing connections with the 22-year-old.
“The last 48 hours has been very difficult, for a lot of people. It’s been very tough, We sympathize with this whole situation, all the parties involved. This young woman, what she went through. You really feel bad for that whole situation. Ultimately, this is a legal situation – we don’t know all the facts. That’s what makes it hard,” Bill’s general manager Brandon Beane said at a press conference Saturday.
“But at this time, we just think it’s the best move for everyone to move on from Matt and let him take care of this situation and focus on that, so we’re going to part ways there.”
Sean McDermott, the head coach, acknowledged that he was aware of the allegation but did not elaborate on how or when the team knew about it or whether the punter had lied to them.
The civil lawsuit, which was filed on Thursday in San Diego County Superior Court, claims that on October 16, 2021, the accuser attended a Halloween party at Araiza’s house close to the San Diego State campus. The girl claimed that once she arrived at the party, Araiza gave her a drink despite the fact that she was already drunk.
Shortly after, Araiza, who was 21 at the time had sex with the then-high school senior, before bringing her inside a room where she allegedly suffered assault from several men for nearly 90 minutes, according to the lawsuit, the girl believes the drink “not only contained alcohol but other intoxicating chemicals.”
Along with former San Diego State teammates Zavier Leonard and Nowlin “Pa’a” Ewaliko, Araiza was one of three guys mentioned in the case. Even though there are only three names given, the girl thinks that she may have been raped by as many as 20 men.
The girl went to the San Diego Police Department the day after the incident took place, the girl gave her statement and had a rape kit done. The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office informed WIVB.com on Friday that the SDPD had since turned over the results of its investigation to prosecutors for a review of the rape accusation. Although the prosecutors are currently examining the issue, they have not yet stated whether any criminal charges will be brought.
After playing for San Diego State, Araiza was chosen by Buffalo in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He was a member of the first All-American team and the Ray Guy Award winner for the best punter in the country.
Sources: Dailywire, Nbcnews, Washingtonpost