Buffalo Bills release punter Matt Araiza following lawsuit's rape accusations
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 at
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 at a college party.
The move was announced by team general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott. Beane said Araiza needed to focus on the accusations, and that the behavior alleged would make the player "a no-go for us" if true.
The suit, filed Thursday, detailed the accuser's narrative of meeting Ariaza at an off-campus Halloween party Oct. 17, 2021, when he played for San Diego State University.
Araiza denies the accusations of rape and other facets of the lawsuit.
“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 Twitter by the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. "I look forward to quickly setting the record straight."
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