Former Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza was apparently not present during the alleged 2021 gang rape of a minor that saw him cut by the NFL team last year.
Yahoo Sports has reported on a 200-page unsealed document including a transcript of a conversation where a a deputy district attorney told the girl, who at the time of the alleged incident was 17, why charges against Araiza were not pursued.
The DA’s office had apparently concluded that Araiza had left the party in San Diego at 12:30am on the night of October 15, 2021 – around an hour before the gang rape is alleged to have happened that Araiza was accused of participating in.
‘He wasn’t even at the party anymore,’ Trisha Amador is quoted as telling the girl by Yahoo. ‘All I know is that at that point, suspect Araiza is gone from the party.’
The report adds that there are recordings of the encounter with the girl where the time stamp is 1:30am. Araiza apparently had a witness that helped prosecutors conclude that he had left around an hour earlier.
Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza was apparently not present during the alleged 2021 gang rape of a minor that saw him cut by the team
The claims are reported by Yahoo Sports – punter Araiaza was cut by the Bills last year
Araiza is apparently hoping for another chance to forge a career for himself in the NFL
Last December, it emerged Araiza would not face criminal charges by San Diego prosecutors.
‘Prosecutors determined it is clear the evidence does not support the filing of criminal charges. There is no path to a potential criminal conviction,’ the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said last December.
There is, however, an ongoing civil lawsuit that remains active.
In February this year, Araiza’s agent denied that he was signing with a Mexican team in a bid to revive his career and said the 22-year-old hopes for another chance in the NFL.
He was released by the Bills in late August, amid the allegations and mounting public pressure, despite winning the starting job in training camp.
The Ray Guy Award Winner – given to the best punter in college football – was a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and beat out veteran Matt Haack to be the Bills punter.
When the lawsuit became public on August 26, Buffalo initially defended Araiza, before eventually cutting the 22-year-old two days later.
General manager Brandon Beane said the organization was aware of Araiza’s version of events prior to bringing him to Orchard Park.
