After releasing former sixth-round pick and Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza in August 2022 due to a civil lawsuit alleging gang rape, the Chiefs appear to be making a change at punter, possibly moving on from Tommy Townsend, a free agent. After being cut before his first regular-season game, Araiza’s signing may result in his first official NFL action, as first reported by Jeremy Fowler.
The “Punt God,” Matt Araiza, and two of his former San Diego State teammates are accused in a civil lawsuit filed on Thursday of gang-raping an adolescent at an off-campus party last fall. Araiza led San Diego State to a record-setting season before being drafted by the Buffalo Bills. Araiza, Zavier Leonard, and Nowlin “Pa’a” Ewaliko are accused in a lawsuit filed in San Diego County Superior Court of gang-raping a girl who was 17 years old during a Halloween party at the house where Araiza had been living.
Due to her underage status at the time, the plaintiff, who is now 18 years old, is referred to in the complaint as “Jane Doe.” Following the lawsuit is filing, Araiza was released by the Bills, and general manager Brandon Beane spoke with the media about the team’s choice: According to Beane, “I would say that a lot of people have found the last 48 hours to be very difficult.” “It is been difficult, and we feel sorry for everyone involved in this situation. The young woman and her experiences. You truly feel awful about the entire thing, and in the end, this is a legal matter for which all the details are unknown. That is what makes it difficult, but for the time being we just believe it is best for everyone to let Matt handle this and let him focus on that. Thus, we will diverge there.”
According to The AP, Araiza “agreed to dismiss his defamation countersuit against her” and was removed from the case in December 2023. Araiza and his attorneys defended Araiza’s innocence after the lawsuit was dismissed, and the woman’s lawyer allegedly stated that her client “simply cannot afford to defend herself” after her initial legal bills exceeded $20,000. The four other former San Diego State athletes are still being sued in this case. The district attorney’s office came to the conclusion that Araiza was not present when the alleged rape occurred, according to Yahoo Sports. But now that Yahoo Sports has access to a 200-plus page transcript of a 100-minute meeting where a deputy district attorney provided the girl and her attorneys with a thorough explanation, a more complete picture of what the police and prosecutors discovered is available. Araiza “left” the house at around 12:30 a.m., an hour before the evidence suggested the alleged gang rape would have taken place, which is perhaps most importantly, leading the district attorney’s office to conclude that Araiza could not have led the girl into the alleged gang rape. According to Trisha Amador, deputy district attorney, “he was not even at the party anymore.” “All I know is that at that point, suspect Araiza is gone from the party,” Amador subsequently said regarding the chronology of events. Araiza, 23, was named a unanimous All-American in 2021 and received the Ray Guy Award, which honors the best punter in college football.