Accused Bills Punter Matt Araiza Won’t Play In Preseason Finale
Araiza and two others have been accused gang-raping a 17-year-old
Bills rookie punter Matt Araiza reportedly will not dress for Buffalo’s preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers, according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter. Araiza and two former San Diego State teammates were accused of gang-raping a 17-year-old high school student a civil suit filed Thursday in California alleges.
Araiza, Zavier Leonard and Pa’a Ewaliko are accused of rape, false imprisonment and gender-violence crimes stemming from a Halloween party at Araiza’s residence on Oct. 17, 2021, according to The Athletic’s Tim Graham and Joe Buscaglia.
The Athletic gave details from the suit. (the following contains details about alleged sexual assault. The content may be difficult to read and emotionally upsetting.)
According to the suit filed by attorney Dan Gilleon, the plaintiff, referred to as Jane Doe, was “inebriated” when she arrived and given more alcohol by Araiza, who was 21 at the time, before he ordered her to perform oral sex on him in a side yard. The lawsuit alleges that Araiza had sex with her outside before taking her inside to a bedroom where Leonard and Ewaliko were waiting. They all took turns sexually assaulting her for about 90 minutes as she went in and out of consciousness, the lawsuit alleges.
The police investigation into Araiza, Leonard and Ewaliko is still ongoing. More details from The Athletic’s report can be read here.
Sources tell The Athletic the Bills were unaware of these allegations when they drafted Araiza in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but they were aware when they released last season’s starting punter Matt Haack on Monday. The Indianapolis Colts signed Haack on Thursday.
The Athletic’s Graham reached out to the accuser’s lawyer and asked if the Bills ever reached out after an initial conversation with the team’s counsel
“Absolutely not,” Gilleon told The Athletic. “Never heard from them again.”
Head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane have commented on the allegations — nor has anyone else from the Bills organization, with the exception of a team statement.
“We were recently made aware of a civil complaint involving Matt from October 2021,” the statement released Thursday read, per Buscaglia. “Due to the serious nature of the complaint, we conducted a thorough examination of this matter. As this is an ongoing civil case legal, we will have no other comment at this point.”
Gilleon tweeted images of an undated journal Friday he said his client kept after the incident.
“I feel sick in the head,” the journal reads, per Graham. “I told the police today what they did to me and I felt like I was no help at all. I can barely even remember. …
“They were just taking turns with me … I have no idea how long I was even in there or how many guys had sex with me … I was bloody after. BLOODY. What the hell did they do to me in there??? All my piercings are gone and my neck is disgusting. I don’t know if they are hickeys or bruises. … I’m supposed to go to school tomorrow and I’m scared people will see.”
Araiza’s attorney, Kerry Armstrong, is uncertain about his client’s future with the Bills.
