A civil lawsuit filed in San Diego County Superior Court alleges that Matt Araiza, the Buffalo Bills rookie known as “Punt God,” was involved in the gang-rape of a drunk 17-year-old high-school senior while studying at San Diego State University last year.
The suit alleges the incident happened at a Halloween party between Oct. 16 and 17 when the teen was plied with a drink that “not only contained alcohol, but other intoxicating substances” and assaulted by multiple men.
Araiza is specifically accused of making the teen perform oral sex on him before he “pulled her up from the ground, turned her around facing away from the party, and penetrated her from behind.”
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The suit goes on to say that he then took her to a bedroom, where his teammates “took turns raping her for an hour and a half.” The teen said she lost consciousness during the assault.
According to the suit, police helped the teen call the other players and Araiza to confirm the incident. During the taped phone call, Araiza told the young woman that he had tested positive for chlamydia, and asked her to get tested.
He then said, “So you know what to get tested for Ok, that makes me feel a bit better.”
In a statement to USA Today, the Bills said the team was “recently made aware of a civil complaint involving Matt from October 2021” and “due to the serious nature of the complaint, we conducted a thorough examination of this matter. As this is an ongoing civil case legal, we will have no other comment at this point.”
Kerry Armstrong, a lawyer for Araiza, told the Los Angeles Times the allegations are false, and that a hired investigator said witnesses have contradicted the accusations.
“It’s a shakedown because he’s now with the Buffalo Bills,” Armstrong said. “There is no doubt in my mind that Matt Araiza ever raped that girl.”
Read it at USA Today
