Buffalo Bills rookie punter Matt Araiza and two of his former San Diego State teammates are being accused of gang raping a 17-year-old girl in 2021. The lawsuit was filed in San Diego County Superior Court on Thursday.
Araiza, who was 21 at the time, allegedly had sex with the minor outside at an off-campus party held at his place. He then allegedly brought her inside a room where she was repeatedly raped by at least three men.
While these allegations are truly horrifying, the NFL can’t do much about it because this incident occurred before Araiza joined the Bills.
“We are aware of the matter but will decline further comment at this time,” the NFL told ProFootballTalk in an email.
The Bills can still discipline or release Araiza if they believe that’s the best move for them.
In a statement, the Bills said they are “aware of a civil complaint involving Matt from October 2021. Due to the serious nature of the complaint, we conducted a thorough examination of this matter. As this is an ongoing civil case, we will have no other comment at this point.”
Araiza’s criminal attorney, Kerry Armstrong, has already called the rape accusation false.
“It’s a shakedown because he’s now with the Buffalo Bills,” Armstrong said, via the Los Angeles Times.
Araiza was recently named the starting punter for the Bills, beating out Matt Haack for the job.