Matt Araiza: Buffalo Bills rookie & 2 ex San Diego teammates sued for gang raping minor

In a complaint filed on Thursday in San Diego County Superior Court, Buffalo Bills rookie punter Matt Araiza and two others are charged with gang raping a 17-year-old girl last year.

Three current and former San Diego State football players, including Araiza, who was a standout for the team last season, are accused in the case (per ESPN). Zavier Leonard, a redshirt freshman at San Diego State, and Nowlin Ewaliko, a freshman last season but no longer listed on the roster, are the other guys cited in the complaint.

Matt Araiza, 22, is charged with coercing the then-high school senior to have sex with him outside during an off-campus party hosted at his house in the early hours of October 17, 2021, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit claims After that, Araiza led her into a space occupied by at least three other males, including Leonard and Ewaliko. For almost an hour and a half, she was continuously assaulted before the party was called off.

The lawsuit’s initiator, Dan Gilleon, told ESPN that he last wrote an email to the Bills’ legal counsel at the end of July informing them of the claims.

Although it declined to comment, the NFL indicated in a statement that it was also aware of the situation. Since the alleged rape took place before Matt Araiza was selected, the league’s personal conduct rules would not apply to him.

The Los Angeles Times broke the news of the lawsuit’s filing first.

Details of the lawsuit against Matt Araiza

The teenager, identified only as Jane Doe, reportedly slipped in and out of consciousness but recalls parts of the time the males alternately attacked her. According to the lawsuit, she was bleeding from her vagina and had had her nose, belly button, and ear piercings taken out throughout the actions.

Doe claims that Araiza knew she was a high school student. She claims he handed her a beverage, but she did not witness him pour it. It is believed and known from Doe that there may have been additional “intoxicating substances” present in addition to alcohol.

Kerry Armstrong, Araiza’s criminal attorney, referred to the charge as untrue and informed the LA Times that his investigator had spoken to party witnesses who refuted the allegations in the complaint.

At the 2022 NFL Draft, the Bills selected Araiza in the sixth round. On Monday, he officially replaced Matt Haack, the Bills’ punter from the previous season, as the team’s starter. The Indianapolis Colts acquired Haack on Thursday.