Matt Araiza

2022 - 8 - 28

Post cover — Image courtesy of "NFL.com"

Buffalo Bills made right decision releasing Matt Araiza, but serious ... (NFL.com)

While there's almost certainly more to be learned about the Bills' response to the allegations against Matt Araiza, the organization made the right decision ...

Araiza certainly has the right to [defend himself](https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1563319513495416834?s=20&t=LvNLvq9QcSuMM6fZUfuoCw), and the Bills have the right to protect their franchise from a disturbing accusation. [offseason of Deshaun Watson](https://www.nfl.com/news/deshaun-watson-settlement-brings-suspension-saga-to-unsatisfying-close), is a nice change of pace. That is not where a team wants its leadership spending its time with the season about to begin. They initially made no move to distance themselves from Araiza; he practiced and played in the first two preseason games, earning widespread acclaim for an 82-yard punt in [Buffalo's preseason opener](https://www.nfl.com/games/colts-at-bills-2022-pre-1) and becoming the team's starting punter after [the release of veteran Matt Haack on Monday](https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-rookie-punter-matt-araiza-wins-starting-job-after-release-of-matt-haack). Araiza traveled with the team to Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, for [Buffalo's preseason finale](https://www.nfl.com/games/bills-at-panthers-2022-pre-3) against the Panthers on Friday night but ultimately did not play in the game, with Bills coach Sean McDermott saying in his postgame news conference that it was [his decision](https://www.nfl.com/news/matt-araiza-not-playing-in-bills-preseason-finale-friday-following-civil-lawsuit): "At the end of the day, I didn't feel it was right to do that." ["late July"](https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-release-rookie-punter-matt-araiza-following-gang-rape-allegation-in-civil-) -- about a month ago -- when the alleged victim's attorney spoke to one of the team's lawyers. Beane said Saturday night that the Bills' culture is more important than winning games. [released](https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-release-rookie-punter-matt-araiza-following-gang-rape-allegation-in-civil-) rookie punter [Matt Araiza](https://www.nfl.com/players/matt-araiza/) on Saturday night. [all the scorn they've received](https://www.nfl.com/news/deshaun-watson-settlement-brings-suspension-saga-to-unsatisfying-close) for their embrace of Watson. That alone, given the Then the allegation hit the headlines on Thursday, when the lawsuit was filed and the Los Angeles Times [wrote about it](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-25/nfl-matt-araiza-sdsu-football-players-accused-rape-lawsuit). At worst, the allegation contained in a [civil lawsuit](https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-rookie-punter-matt-araiza-accused-of-participating-in-gang-rape-of-minor-i) filed Thursday that Araiza, a former San Diego State star, participated in the gang rape of a 17-year-old last October is proven true and there will be many questions about how the university, the San Diego police and those who are supposed to vet players in the NFL let Araiza go unscathed for 10 months.

Buffalo Bills release rookie punter Matt Araiza amid gang-rape ... (USA TODAY)

The Buffalo Bills released punter Matt Araiza, 22, Saturday night, two days after a civil lawsuit alleged he was involved in the gang-rape of a minor.

As news of the lawsuit circulated, the Bills faced mounting pressure and [held Araiza out of the game](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2022/08/26/matt-araiza-rape-allegation-lawsuit-buffalo-bills-punter/7907972001/), despite his traveling with the team and arriving to Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. He deserves to be, as he is the hardest-working 22-year-old I know." "I look forward to quickly setting the record straight.'' Not once did she express to me a desire to hurt her assaulters out of revenge or hatred. "I had one conversation with (D'Angelo)," Gilleon said. Beane admitted Saturday night that the franchise became aware of the allegations against Araiza as early as July. That's what I keep coming back to in my mind and my heart: Find out the truth, to the best of my ability, and do the right thing." Beane said he could not recall whether Buffalo first learned of the accusations when Gilleon, the victim's attorney, informed Buffalo's counsel in July, or if the team heard about it from Araiza himself. "We sympathize with this whole situation, all the parties involved. "I mean, you can't investigate when you don't even ask the primary witness what happened. A civil lawsuit filed Thursday in San Diego County Superior Court alleges Araiza sexually assaulted an inebriated 17-year-old high school senior outside of an off-campus party in October 2021 at the home where Araiza lived, before bringing her inside a room where she was allegedly assaulted by multiple men. 22 when the team released veteran punter Matt Haack.

Buffalo Bills release punter Matt Araiza following lawsuit's gang-rape ... (CNBC)

Araiza was on the San Diego State football team in October 2021, when the alleged incident took place off-campus, the suit claimed.

Beane reiterated that at a news conference Saturday in which he announced Araiza was being released. The school said San Diego police requested it pause initiating its own Title IX investigation to allow detectives necessary leeway. The move was announced by team general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott. He said a culture of following the law and good behavior is core to the Bills and that if the team knew about the accusations it would not have recruited Araiza. "We did not know about this and the league did not know about this," Beane said. "The facts of the incident are not what they are portrayed in the lawsuit or in the press," he said in a statement shared Friday evening on

Without civil lawsuit, Matt Araiza would still be the Bills punter (Buffalo Rumblings)

Beane, and to a lesser degree head coach Sean McDermott (who had already met the firing squad on Friday night), defended the team's heel-dragging as “not ...

“And at that point, it’s a real civil case. Without that civil lawsuit, it’s pretty clear Araiza would have punted on Friday night and would still be with the team today. That’s why they released Matt Haack on Monday, because they didn’t have that proof, a charge, or a suit. It’s something that you have to respond to.” “We were still digging, so potentially,” said Beane about Araiza still being on the team. Without one of those two legal events, the Bills would have had to independently verify at least one of the big claims levied against their sixth-round pick in order to move on.

Fairburn: Bills' handling of Matt Araiza undermined trust (The Athletic)

Based on what the team was told, and when, its decisions about its rookie punter are confounding. Except for the decision to release him.

They should ask themselves why they handled the information the way they did when they received it in late July. Beane added, “our culture is more important than winning football games.” But this incident will require Beane and McDermott to rebuild the public’s trust in that culture. “I told the police today what they did to me and I felt like I was no help at all. Prior to that, the Bills were convinced enough of Araiza’s words that they didn’t feel the need to keep incumbent punter Matt Haack on the roster any longer to get more clarity on the situation. “We don’t have all the answers,” Beane said. Beane admitted, “You can second guess whether that was the right move.” They were comfortable enough with Araiza’s version of events to let McDermott talk about him on a Barstool podcast. We were using the resources that we had to find any answers that we could. Only then did the Bills release a statement that said they had “conducted a thorough examination” of the incident. Araiza denied the accusations, and the Bills took the word of a player who already hadn’t been forthright with the organization during the pre-draft process. That thorough examination did not include following up with the accuser’s attorney after he warned the Bills of the suit. They were left trying to talk their way out of a situation they created by how they handled the accuser’s attorney’s initial message on July 31. McDermott said of the accuser’s words, “We did take those very seriously.

Buffalo Bills release punter Matt Araiza following lawsuit's rape ... (NBC News)

The Buffalo Bills on Saturday released punter Matt Araiza, one of the NFL's rising stars, days after he was accused in a civil lawsuit of raping a teenager ...

"If Matt Araiza had shown 1% of the grace that my client has, perhaps by offering an apology and donation his money to a charity serving rape survivors, he would still be a Buffalo Bill and his parents could sit in the stands and watch their son with pride," Gilleon said. "Instead, he decided to hire an attorney who knew only to viciously attack the young woman his client had raped. Gilleon claimed that Araiza’s attorney offered Jane Doe money to settle the case, which she and her legal counsel rejected. "She handled herself with grace and dignity," he said. This is what enablers do,” he said in a statement. Beane reiterated that at a news conference Saturday in which he announced that Araiza was being released.