Bills releases actor Matt Araiza after gang rape allegations

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK (AP) — In the face of widespread public backlash and internal questions about the decision to give Matt Araiza a gambling job, the Buffalo Bills reversed course by cutting the rookie on Saturday, two days after the lawsuit was filed. .. was raped by a teenager, a player, and two college teammates last fall.

“The last 48 hours have been very difficult for many people. Hard. “We sympathize with this whole situation, with all parties involved, with this girl, what has happened to her,” general manager Brandon Bean said at a 26-minute press conference with coach Sean McDermott.

“But right now we think it’s best for everyone to stay away from Matt and let him deal with and focus on this situation. So that’s where our paths diverge,” added Bean.

Bean said the bills were not aware of the allegations against Araiza at the time they were preparing them. And if they knew, Bean said, they wouldn’t have considered him.

The decision to cut ties with San Diego State’s sixth-round pick comes after Buffalo released returning veteran Matt Haack on Monday, paving the way for Araiza to take over his cross country duties.

The bills decided to keep Araisu despite knowing about the allegations against him since the end of July. The team later backed the actor by announcing that they were “conducting a thorough investigation” into the matter a day after the lawsuit was filed.

Bean said the team did its best to obtain as much detail as possible, while noting that many charges were not available as the results of the San Diego police investigation were not made public. He noted that the team decided “not to draw conclusions” based on the information they had, and Araiza never changed their version of what had happened.

“You want to give everyone as many legal processes as possible. Again, we’re not the judge, we’re the jury,” Bean said.

McDermott later intervened and said that the team was actually considering the victim’s version of the events involved in the case.

“We take them very seriously. I want everyone to understand that. This is very important,” McDermott said.

Araiza’s release began to ease the crisis that had gripped the team, as evidenced by McDermott’s struggle to contain his emotions as he discussed the situation following Friday night’s 21-0 preseason loss to Carolina.

McDermott called to prevent Araisa from playing against Carolina. The player watched the match from an undisclosed location and also made a statement through his manager Joe Linta: “The facts of the case do not match what is presented in the trial or in the press. I expect the record to be broken as soon as possible.”

With no other players on the roster, third quarterback Matt Barkley took over the gambling duties.

In an Associated Press report, Araiza’s attorney, Kerry Armstrong, wrote in his client’s defense: “I’m sure he was very upset and disappointed that his career at the Bono ended not because he didn’t play well, but because he played the wrong accusations against his wife and lawyer. I hope the most He’ll be back in the NFL soon.”

The lawsuit, filed in San Diego County Supreme Court, accuses Araiza and two of her friends of raping a 17-year-old girl at an off-campus Halloween party where Araiza lives. The San Diego police investigation was referred to the district attorney’s office to determine whether a criminal complaint should be filed. District Attorney spokeswoman Tanya Sierra said Friday that there is no timetable for a decision.

At Buffalo, attention is focused on why Bono was unaware of the allegations against Araiza when the San Diego State player was selected in the sixth round of the April draft. Despite being the best player in college football last year and nicknamed the “God of Punt” for his strong left foot, Araiza is the third player to be drafted.

It’s unclear whether Araiza had briefed the NFL about the allegations in the months prior to the draft.

Executives from two different teams told the Associated Press that they were aware of Araiza’s involvement during the draft process, but did not know the extent of the allegations. Officials from the other three teams said they were not aware of the pre-draft allegations against Araiza and were not aware of the incident until Thursday. Due to the sensitivity of the subject, all people met with the AP on the condition of anonymity.

While it’s unclear when Bono first learned of the allegations, they learned of them in late July when he contacted the team’s legal representative, with Dan Gilleon, an attorney representing the alleged victim, being identified as “Jane Doe” in the case. consultant, Katherine D’Angelo. , using e-mail.

“She looks worried. She said she’d get back to me but she didn’t answer,” Gilleon said. I even came up to her and said, ‘Hey, you didn’t talk to me or call me back like you promised.’ And they just ignored that.”

Armstrong also said he told his client to be honest and inform Bills about the allegations. Armstrong also said he has been in regular contact with Bono over the past month to provide details of his own investigation into what happened.

“I don’t believe 100% that he forcibly raped this woman or had sex with her unconscious or drunk or anything like that,” Armstrong said.

The Billys also had what they called a “extensive review” that ultimately led to their decision to fire Haack.

Bills also disclosed the incident to the NFL as soon as they learned of the incident, a person familiar with the situation told the AP. The person who spoke on the condition that his name was not disclosed due to the sensitive nature of the subject remained undecided about the watch.

The NFL declined to comment, saying it was aware of the issue.