Buffalo Bills rookie punter Matt Araiza and two others have been accused of raping a 17-year-old girl last year, according to a lawsuit filed in San Diego County Superior Court, per ESPN. The two other men in the lawsuit are Araiza’s former San Diego State teammates Zavier Leonard and Nowlin Ewaliko. Along with rape, the three men are accused of gender violence and false imprisonment.
The alleged incident happened on Oct. 17, 2021, at an off-campus party held at Arazia’s residence. Araiza was 21 and allegedly had sex with a high school senior who was under the age of consent in California. The lawsuit states Araiza then brought her inside a room where at least three other men were, including Leonard and Ewaliko, and she was repeatedly raped for about an hour and a half.
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The Bills released a statement saying they “were recently made aware of a civil complaint involving Matt from October 2021. Due to the serious nature of the complaint, we conducted a thorough examination of this matter. As this is an ongoing civil case, we will have no other comment at this point.” ESPN said the NFL made a statement that said it was aware of the incident but declined to comment.
The lawsuit states the girl went in and out of consciousness but remembers moments as the men took turns assaulting her. She alleges that Araiza was aware that she was in high school at the time and he handed her a drink but she did not see him pour it. The girl, who is listed as John Doe in the suit, believes the drink she consumed had “intoxicating substances” along with alcohol.
“This was a horrific crime, the kind of which happens all too often,” Dan Gilleon, the attorney who filed the lawsuit, said in a statement. “What makes these crimes different is not only that they were committed by self-entitled athletes. Just as awful as the crimes, for months, multiple organizations — SDSU, the San Diego Police Department, the San Diego District Attorney, and now the Buffalo Bills — have acted the part of enablers looking the other way in denial that my client deserves justice even if the defendants are prized athletes.”
Araiza, 22, was selected by the Bills in the sixth round of this year’s NFL Draft. He was the best punter in college football last season, winning the Ray Guy award and being named a Unanimous All-American.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
