Matt Araiza, the former Buffalo Bills punter who was accused of rape in 2022, broke his silence on Tuesday after prosecutors said he was not present during the alleged incident.
Prosecutors updated the case on Monday on the claims stemming from when Araiza was a student-athlete at San Diego State. A deputy district attorney reportedly explained why they found no evidence to press charges against Araiza or anyone else accused in the civil lawsuit to the girl and her attorneys.
Araiza was not visible in any of the videos recovered from the night in question, according to audio from a meeting between San Diego deputy district attorney Trisha Amador and the woman who filed a civil lawsuit last year against him and two of his former Aztecs teammates.
According to the lawsuit, Araiza, who was 21 at the time, brought the girl to the side of the home and instructed her to give him oral sex before engaging in physical sex. The lawsuit claims that after taking her inside the house, at least three other males continuously sexually assaulted her for about 1½ hours.
Araiza has this to say about the new findings.
“I am aware that the facts of this case have been made public,” Araiza told Pro Football Talk in a statement on Tuesday. “I am deeply gratified for the thorough work of the DA’s office in San Diego and for all the witnesses that were willing to come forward and tell the truth. I am thankful that the facts of this case as provided by the witnesses will prove that what I have been saying from the beginning is, in fact, the truth.
“I can only hope that now people will assess me on the facts and not what was falsely claimed in both the civil suit and in the press.
“I am beyond thankful for the unwavering support of both my family and friends. They have been a rock in what has been a very dark eight months for me. However, now that the truth is out, I am amazed by the thousands of emails and tweets supporting me. It has truly been a blessing to know so many people have now judged me by the facts.”
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Amid the allegations, Araiza was released last August. He was cleared of criminal wrongdoing in December and the reporting helped reveal why prosecutors made the decision.
If he gets back into the league, he faces no punishment from the NFL because the alleged incident occurred before he was selected by the Bills in the spring 2022 draft.
