Bills punter Matt Araiza and two others were charged with gang raping a 17-year-old girl in a lawsuit filed Thursday in San Diego County Superior Court.
A new court case affects the NFL after that of Deshaun Watson. Buffalo Bills rookie Matt Araiza and two of his former teammates at San Diego State University were charged with gang raping a 17-year-old girl during a trial in county Superior Court Thursday. from San Diego.
According to ESPN, the lawsuit relates to allegations against Araiza and two of his former San Diego State teammates: Zavier Leonard and Nowlin Ewaliko, two former first years. All three are accused of rape, sexual assault and forcible confinement.
The facts explain that Araiza, who was 21 at the time, allegedly had sex with a high school girl who was under the age of consent in California, at an off-campus party in his personal residence on October 17, 2021.
The chilling story of the victim
The girl’s lawyer says Araiza then took her to a room where at least three other men were, including Leonard and Ewaliko, and that she was repeatedly raped for about an hour and a half until until the party is over.
It says the victim, named anonymously “Jane Doe” because she was underage at the time, walked in and lost consciousness. She remembers the times when the men took turns assaulting her, she was bleeding from the vagina and had piercings in her nose, navel and ears pulled out during the brutal acts. The young girl specifies that Araiza would have given her a glass containing, according to her, «substances intoxicantes».
The player’s criminal lawyer, Kerry Armstrong, told ESPN that his client had spoken to the girl well at that party, but that the rape allegations were “simply wrong”.
The Bills remain cautious
In a statement released Thursday, the Buffalo Bills said: “We have been made aware of a civil complaint involving Matt for events from October 2021. Due to the seriousness of the complaint, we have conducted a thorough review of this matter. As this is an ongoing civil matter, we will have no further comment at this stage.”
As a reminder, Matt Araiza was selected by the Bills in the sixth round of the NFL Draft in 2022. He earned his permanent place in the team after the departure of Matt Haack to the Indianapolis Colts on Monday.