Former Buffalo Payments punter Matt Araiza was not current for the alleged gang rape he was accused of taking part in with two of his soccer teammates that occurred at a celebration close to San Diego State’s campus in October 2021, prosecutors have reportedly discovered.
Araiza had made the Payments’ 53-man roster because the staff’s punter after profitable the coaching camp battle final August. However all of that modified when the rookie, nicknamed the “Punt God” for his abilities in that space of soccer, was named in a civil lawsuit that offered very graphic particulars of a gang rape of an intoxicated 17-year-old lady.
The lawsuit said that Araiza had thrown the lady on a mattress “face first” and he or she went out and in of consciousness whereas having unsolicited intercourse. The lawsuit added that it lasted an hour and a half, and he or she left the room bloodied and crying.
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Buffalo Payments punter Matt Araiza walks on the sideline throughout the first half of a preseason NFL soccer sport towards the Indianapolis Colts in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Aug. 13, 2022. (AP Photograph/Adrian Kraus, File)
Following a 124-day investigation, prosecutors got here out on Dec. 7, 2022, and mentioned they wouldn’t press fees.
Yahoo Sports activities broke down what police and prosecutors present in a “200-plus web page transcript of a 100-minute assembly” the place a deputy district lawyer defined why they discovered no proof to press fees towards Araiza or anybody else accused within the civil lawsuit to the lady and her attorneys.
The most important piece of proof that confirmed that Araiza allegedly wasn’t concerned was that he “left” the home the place the get together was being thrown round 12:30 a.m. Prosecutors decided the alleged incident occurred an hour later.
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“He wasn’t even on the get together anymore,” Deputy District Lawyer Trisha Amador informed the plaintiff by way of Yahoo Sports activities. “All I do know is that at that time, suspect Araiza is gone from the get together.”
There have been additionally movies of the incident contained in the bed room the place prosecutors didn’t see sufficient to say it was a gang rape as an alternative of consensual intercourse.
“In wanting on the movies on the intercourse tape, I completely can not show any forceable sexual assault primarily based upon what occurred,” Amador defined.
Araiza has famous that any kind of sexual contact with the lady was consensual.
Buffalo Payments punter Matt Araiza, left, celebrates with place-kicker Tyler Bass, proper, after Bass kicked the go-ahead discipline aim within the second half of a preseason NFL soccer sport towards the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photograph/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
The incident that occurred at 1:30 a.m., one hour after prosecutors discovered that Araiza had left the get together primarily based on the 35 witnesses that had been questioned, which included the lady’s buddies, has video exhibiting two or three totally different males within the bed room with the lady.
Witnesses additionally mentioned that the lady, who received into the get together along with her different highschool buddies after discovering it was a couple of blocks away from the San Diego State campus, was telling folks she was 18 years previous.
And whereas the lawsuit claims that she was “closely intoxicated,” witnesses can’t corroborate that piece of the story.
“A witness who was in the home gave an announcement saying that at – no less than one level within the get together, that you simply made an announcement telling folks on the get together you had been 18,” Amador informed the lady within the transcript. “One other witness on the get together, a distinct one, says that they particularly heard you say you had been 18…”
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The civil lawsuit claimed that the lady was separated from her buddies and Araiza had led her over to a facet yard and informed her to carry out sexual acts towards her consent.
Araiza says that he was urinating in a non-public space of the yard and that she walked there on her personal accord, not by his pressure.
Witnesses additionally mentioned the lady was leaving and returning, saying that she had intercourse with somebody.
“The witnesses say…that shortly after you arrived on the get together, you left and got here again shortly thereafter. And also you informed [a friend], ‘I simply had intercourse,’” Amador mentioned to the lady. “You didn’t seem sad. You gave the impression to be having enjoyable and that the encounter on the facet of the home with Matt, suspect Araiza, was consensual.”
Buffalo Payments punter Matt Araiza waves to followers after a preseason NFL soccer sport towards the Indianapolis Colts in Orchard Park, N.Y., Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022. (AP Photograph/Adrian Kraus, File)
There was one other witness who claimed the lady was “approaching males on the get together saying, ‘I would like you to [expletive] me and in case you don’t [expletive] me you’re a [expletive].”
After the Araiza encounter, regardless of the civil lawsuit saying that he led her to a bed room, prosecutors discovered that she left her buddy group once more and returned saying she had intercourse with a distinct man. Amador additionally made positive to level out once more that the lady wasn’t below the affect.
Because the accusation, Araiza was launched from the Payments and has but to be picked up by one other staff within the league regardless of the December announcement that fees wouldn’t be pressed.
The Payments reportedly knew concerning the incident involving Araiza previous to him becoming a member of the staff. They did their very own investigation on the matter and introduced him into the fold.
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The plaintiff’s lawyer, Dan Gilleon, shared the next assertion to Fox Information Digital concerning this new report.
“Crew Araiza continues to litigate the case within the media as a result of they know the data they’re leaking has no relevance in any respect to the lawsuit,” Gilleon mentioned. “Matt Araiza will costume up in a go well with and tie for television crews at a meaningless courtroom listening to, however he received’t converse to the media like Jane Doe has and can proceed to do. The primary time Araiza had an opportunity to inform his facet of the story was when he was contacted by the police. He took the fifth, asserting his proper to not incriminate himself. Since then, he has remained silent as his attorneys leak irrelevant data to the media and assault the sufferer, apparently considering that she’ll be bullied into dropping her case. It’s not going to occur. This case goes to trial, and we’ll pressure Araiza to speak.”
Gilleon beforehand informed San Diego’s CBS 8 that the witness who mentioned Araiza wasn’t current on the get together on the time of the alleged rape is a “buddy” of his.
Matt Araiza of the Buffalo Payments takes the sector throughout observe on August 05, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York. (Joshua Bessex/Getty Pictures)
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Araiza was a sixth-round draft decide by the Payments within the 2022 NFL Draft. His 82-yard punt in a preseason sport with them went viral previous to being named the staff’s punter out of camp.
