BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza, who is accused of raping a 17-year-old girl in 2021, has commented publicly for the first time on the allegations made against him.
Araizas agent provided the following statement to 7 News:
“The facts of the incident are not what they are portrayed in the lawsuit or in the press. I look forward to quickly setting the record straight.”
Araiza did not play in the preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers on Friday night.
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott also addressed the situation at a press conference following the Bills vs. Panthers game.
"I want to talk about something that's more important, which is what we have going on with one of our members of our team right now. And Matt Araiza is a situation that is extremely serious. It's just hard to go through and it's not a situation that I or we take lightly whatsoever. It's very serious. I understand the sensitivity of the situation. It's clear we have work to do to continue to figure this thing out here, and we're going to do that. It was my decision and at the end of the day I didn't feel like it was right to (have him play). That's what I'm after is doing the right thing. I would say there's been some (new information) and I'm not going to deny that. It's clear we have work to do here in figuring this thing out. It's not easy to hear about some of the things that I've heard about over the last several hours. I haven't slept a lot to be honest with you, because this is a game, but there's other things that are more important. It's just a matter of trying to find the truth at the end of the day. That's the goal. Find the truth and do the right thing. And that's what I keep coming back to in my mind and my heart is find out the truth to the best of my ability and do the right thing. I just want to get to that answer as soon as we can. But you know how things sometimes work with these situations. There are things on both sides with legal and attorneys and everything like that. So again, just trying to put this all together and do what's right."
Araiza is named in a civil lawsuit that was filed Thursday in San Diego Superior Court. Araiza and two former teammates at San Diego State University are accused of "gang raping" a 17-year-old girl at a Halloween party on October 17, 2021.
You can find a full story on the allegations here. Warning: the story contains graphic information.
The Bills drafted Araiza in the sixth round of this year's NFL Draft. He won the punting job earlier this week following the release of Matt Haack.
