A woman who once alleged she was sexually assaulted, including in a violent gang rape, by former NFL punter Matt Araiza has made the decision to drop her lawsuit.
According to a statement from Araiza’s attorneys, the lawsuit accusing the former San Diego State punter of raping a 17-year-old girl at an off-campus house party will be dismissed.
The lawsuit filed in Aug. 2022 alleged that Araiza and two of his SDSU football teammates gang raped the underage girl in 2021. in December of 2022, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office announced no criminal charges would be filed against Araiza for the alleged rape, stating “Ultimately, prosecutors determined it is clear the evidence does not support the filing of criminal charges and there is no path to a potential criminal conviction.”
The press release stated they have reached an agreement with the plaintiff that requires her to dismiss her complaint against him “in the next week.”
There will not be a settlement in this case.
“Matt is not paying the plaintiff any money and he is reserving his right to pursue the plaintiff’s attorney, Dan Gilleon, and his law office for the harm that they have caused him,” the release says.
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Araiza’s attorneys described this court victory as “bittersweet.”
“Matt has been forced to defend himself for the last sixteen months against false accusations and a campaign to ruin his career in the NFL. He will never get this time in his life back,” the statement said.
Days after the allegations, Araiza was released by the Buffalo Bills, who had selected the All-American punter in the sixth round of the 2022 draft.
Araiza had made the Bills’ 53-man roster as the team’s punter after winning the training camp battle and he was nicknamed the “Punt God” for his skills in that area of football.
No NFL team has offered him a contract since.
