Many NFL players have been involved in controversies, and Matt Araiza is one of them. Born in May 2000, the punter once used to be an exceptional player. After playing for San Diego State University, he entered the NFL in 2022. However, his life took a huge turn after Araiza was involved in a s*xual assault case.
The Buffalo Bills selected Matt Araiza as their 180th pick in the 6th round of the NFL Draft in 2022. However, the team released him after a few days, even before he could make his debut in the league. It happened because a 17-year-old girl accused Araiza and his friends of r*ping her.
According to the accuser, the 6-foot-1 punter s*xually assaulted her during a Halloween party in October 2021. The party took place at Araiza’s home in South California, and the victim attended it. There, Matt Araiza, along with his two college teammates, r*aped her.
After the accuser filed the lawsuit, officers met her twice and reportedly interrogated 35 witnesses. She revealed that the NFL star forced her to have s*x with him while she was drunk. As for Matt Arazia, he denied all the allegations. The prosecution at that time also decided against filing criminal charges against him.
Matt Araiza was just 21 when this incident allegedly took place. However, throughout all this time, the punter has neither dated nor married anymore. As for now, he’s single and has been struggling in his career after the case.
The accuser has decided to drop the case against Matt Araiza
The NFL career of Matt Araiza almost ended in his rookie year itself because of the lawsuit. It has been a year since the lawsuit, and there has been no clarity about what happened. Now, the story has taken a new turn as the accuser has decided to drop the case against Araiza.
As per the 200 lbs player’s lawyers, the accuser has come to an agreement with them. Dick Semerdjian and Kristen Bush, Araiza’s lawyers, recently released an official statement to break the news. The lawyers for Matt Araiza called the accusations against him “false” and referred to that agreement as “bittersweet”. They mentioned that the accuser is ready to “dismiss her complaint against him in the next week”.
The woman who accused Matt Araiza of sexual assault has reportedly agreed to drop her lawsuit against the NFL player.
Details here: https://t.co/mmlXxbeQ61 pic.twitter.com/MvJ4QYDiLe
— TMZ (@TMZ) December 13, 2023
“Matt has been forced to defend himself for the last sixteen months against false accusations and a campaign to ruin his career in the NFL… He will never get this time in his life back… Matt is not paying the plaintiff any money,” Araiza’s attorneys said in a statement.
The former Bills star’s lawyers further mentioned that Araiza will be due the accuser for the harm she caused him. They also revealed that Matt Araiza is all set to make a comeback to the NFL after this case is over. Now, it’ll be interesting to see if the California-born punter can make a new start in the league or not.