A woman has filed a civil lawsuit against Buffalo Bills player Matt Araiza. Included in the lawsuit are two former San Diego University players. She is accusing them of gang rape.
The woman is unidentified.
The accuser was a 17-year-old minor at the time of the incident, still in high school.
The incident took place at a Halloween party in October of 2021.
Diary entries after the gang rape allegation involving the Buffalo Bills player were shared by the claimants lawyer
According to the Daily Beast, the unidentified woman’s lawyer shared entries she had written following the gang rape.
One entry states, “I remember being led to a room where they were all already waiting.”
“All I keep replaying in my mind is being face down in a random bed just waiting for it to be over soon.”
The entries were written the day after the alleged gang rape, according to lawyer Dan Gilleon.
He posted the entries to his Twitter account.
The woman told the Los Angeles Times, “They weren’t affected by what they did, and they probably felt like it was something that they would never have to face consequences for. That makes me sick.”
Bills player Araiza was named in the civil suit. His lawyer has denied the allegation and called it a shakedown.
Lawyer for victim slams the Buffalo Bills following the release of their punter
According to Fox News, Gilleon issued a statement after the player was released Saturday night.
Araiza was released two days after the lawsuit came to light. The team was made aware of the investigation happening in July.
Gilleon told Buffalo News, “The Buffalo Bills had no choice but to cut their young punter after so badly botching their response to our claim: they ignored us, as though what I warned them would happen could be avoided if they just kept their heads in the sand. This is what enablers do.”
He went on to add that his client wasn’t looking for money or to tarnish reputations out of revenge.
He states she was looking for justice to help any other woman from going through what she did.
Kerry Armstrong, Araiza’s lawyer, has stated that Gilleon’s client is looking for money and Gilleon criticized the suggestion.
Araiza was released less than a week after the Buffalo Bills chose him to be their star punter.
General Manager Brandon Beane stated that when they chose him to play for the team in May, they were unaware of the allegations. He said they would not have picked him had they known.
Araiza’s only comment since the lawsuit was revealed was that the incident wasn’t what it’s portrayed to be in the lawsuit or press.
He added that he looked forward to quickly setting the record straight.
Right now, a police investigation is happening which will be reported to the District Attorney.
The District Attorney will decide whether to move forward with pressing charges.
Questions remain regarding Araiza and the gang rape accusation
According to NFL.com, questions will remain following the lawsuit.
They will be regarding how the university, San Diego Police, and those in charge of vetting players all let Araiza through for the last ten months.
The Buffalo Bills had to let him go ahead of the start of the season. These situations are what every team tries to avoid.
Others want to know what went into the Bills decision regarding the release of their punter.
This includes what they knew about the incident, how much they really tried to find out, and who they spoke to to get the information.
While nobody knows what really happened, it appears that the victim’s lawyer spoke to one of the team’s lawyers. They then started the process of looking into the incident.
They did not rush to judgment and didn’t try to distance themselves from the player.
He continued to practice with the team but when the news hit the Los Angeles Times, he was not allowed to play in the preseason finale.
His version of events did not align with the victim’s. The team ultimately decided to let him go but why is currently unknown.
Could it have been the public outrage, or were they made aware of new information?
Samantha edits our personal finance and consumer news section. Have a question or lead? Send it to [email protected].