Content warning: This story contains depictions of suspected sexual assault.
A woman who previously claimed former NFL punter Matt Arraiza sexually assaulted her, including a violent gang rape, has agreed to drop her civil lawsuit against him.
Authorities in San Diego, where the alleged 2021 incident took place, have previously declined to prosecute Araiza, even determining that Araiza was not at the party at the time of the alleged gang rape.
Following the uproar after filing a civil lawsuit in August 2022, the Buffalo Bills waived Araiza, a rookie who was drafted in the sixth round at the time. He hasn’t played in the NFL since.
Araiza did not pay the woman and has not admitted guilt. Araiza’s lawyer told Yahoo Sports that she agreed to drop her own defamation lawsuit against the woman in exchange for dropping her civil suit. Araiza is retaining his right to sue the woman’s attorney, Dan Gilleon.
“This victory is bittersweet,” said Araiza’s attorney, Dick Semerjian. “Matt has spent the past 16 months defending himself against false charges and a campaign to destroy his NFL career. He will never get this time back in his life. ”
The initial allegations were graphic and disturbing. The woman, who was 17 at the time, claimed that Araiza, then a star athlete at San Diego State University, engaged in violent sexual assaults that included taking her into a bedroom with numerous other men. Her complaint was “thrown by Araiza,” she claimed. [the girl] She then suffered a “horrific gang rape” that lasted an hour and a half, leaving her “bleeding and crying out.”
Araiza always admitted that he had consensual sex with the girl earlier in the evening, but that he did not know she was 17 years old. She said she assumed he was older than her because it was a college party and she told others she was 18. He strongly denied such facts. Other contact with women.
SDSU, local police, and the San Diego County Prosecutor’s Office conducted a lengthy investigation into the allegations but declined to prosecute Mr. Araiza.
Last spring, local prosecutors met with the woman and said evidence collected showed Araiza had already left the house at the time of the alleged gang rape.
“He wasn’t even at the party anymore,” Assistant District Attorney Trisha Amador explained in a recorded interview with the woman. Amador later spoke about the timeline of events: “All I know is that Araiza was no longer in the party at that point.”
Prosecutors also told the girl that a video recording of the incident in the bedroom led her to question whether there was an actual rape and not consensual sex with multiple men.
“Even if you watch the video of the sex tape, you will never be able to prove forcible sexual assault based on what happened,” Amador said.
Araiza, who was nicknamed the “Punting God” during his record-setting college career and punted 82 yards for the Bills in the 2022 preseason, said Amador’s comments made him think he would get a second chance in the NFL. I expected. He was scheduled to be the Bills’ punter in 2022 and had agreed to a $3.8 million contract that was later voided.
The New York Jets brought him in for training in May 2023, but no contract has been reached yet. Many NFL teams told Yahoo Sports they would be hesitant to hire Araiza as long as the civil suit is pending. That’s not a problem anymore.
“The importance of the presumption of innocence in our justice system cannot be overstated. Thankfully, extensive evidence was key in securing Matt’s voluntary dismissal from this case.
“Matt was and is innocent,” Semerdjian continued. “The lawsuit is closed and Matt won. He now has full intentions of returning to the NFL, hoping to resume his career as a punt.”