Rookie punter Matt Araiza, accused in a civil lawsuit along with two others of gang raping a 17-year-old girl last year, will not punt for the Buffalo Bills in the team’s preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers.
According to the lawsuit, filed on Thursday in San Diego County Superior Court, an unidentified woman claims that Araiza and two other San Diego State footbal players, Zavier Leonard and Nowlin “Pa’a” Ewaliko, took turns having non-consensual sex with her as she went in and out of consciousness. The woman was a 17-year-old high-school senior at the time.
On Thursday, the Bills released a brief statement:
From the Bills: “We were recently made 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.”— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) August 25, 2022
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Araiza “would not punt” for the Bills in their final preseason game in Carolina:
Bills’ rookie Matt Araiza, who has been accused along with two others of gang raping a 17-year-old girl last year in a civil lawsuit filed on Thursday, will not punt for Buffalo in tonight’s preseason game at Carolina, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 26, 2022