Former NFL punter Matt Araiza spoke out publicly following the clearing of his name in a sexual assault case that left him removed from his team and the league for the entire rookie season this past year.
As background, Araiza was drafted by the Buffalo Bills out of college last spring, only to face allegations of participating in a gang rape with a 17-year-old victim just a few months later. In August of last year, he was subsequently dropped by the Bills and missed what should have been a life-defining role.
Araiza sat down with Outkick’s Tomi Lahren to discuss his career’s sudden demise and where things stand now, including the possibility of bringing a lawsuit against his accuser.
“I was shocked, but the writing was on the wall. I mean, the way people reacted to it. It was pretty clear to me that my career was coming to an end until I could prove everything and at first it was terrifying,” Araiza said of the ordeal last summer
Araiza said his entire defense strategy was not to let the accusation devolve into a “he said, she said” situation and decided to let everything play out. Araiza knew he was innocent but was also thankful for the massive number of eyewitnesses who could corroborate his story.
“If there wasn’t video evidence from that night, from the night before, if there wasn’t 35 witnesses who stepped forward and spoke to the police. I don’t know what would be happening if all that didn’t happen,” he said.
Matt Araiza case shows actually due process is still good and media should probably make a nod to it in coverage every now and then. Me @Outkick!https://t.co/adSg04QkbE
— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) May 11, 2023
Araiza then mentioned that the Bills had been made aware of the coming publicity a month in advance, but as the news hit mainstream outlets he said the team buckled under the public pressure. Despite the team possibly knowing the real story, they nevertheless caved to the backlash against him and washed their hands clean of him.
“I gave my attorney the greenlight to keep them in the loop and give them all of our witness statements, all of our evidence,” Araiza said. “They knew the truth, but the accusations were strong enough that they had to cut me.”
The Daily Caller wrote that the “former Bills punter lamented he was considered guilty in the court of public opinion without sufficient evidence. However, he said he does not blame his former team for their decision to part ways.”
“I hold nothing against the Buffalo Bills, I wish things were handled differently,” Araiza continued. “But they did treat me with respect, which I appreciate. It’s just the climate of how things are now. Accusations bring so much hate to anyone who decides to stand by the accuser that they were kind of forced to cut me from the team.”
And now, with his name cleared and the evidence out there, and his career possibly ruined over the fake report, Araiza said he will be seeking maximum justice against his accuser. He said he would not be willing to settle any civil lawsuits.
“The damage has been done. And if I was to settle, that would waive my right to countersue,” Araiza said, “So, at this point, we’re the heavy favorite and continuing this any longer is going to be very damaging for them, so I’m not willing to settle.”
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