Buffalo Bills Turmoil: Matt Araiza Cut Amid Shocking Scandal—GM Brandon Beane Speaks Out Sharply

The Buffalo Bills have announced the release of rookie punter Matt Araiza.

Araiza, 22, has been accused along with two others of gang raping a 17-year-old girl last year in a civil lawsuit filed on Thursday.

Bills’ GM Brandon Beane said at a press conference on Saturday: ‘This is bigger than football. Our culture in Buffalo is more important than winning football games.

‘We sympathize with this whole situation, all the parties involved, this young woman and what she went through. Ultimately this is a legal situation, we don’t know all the facts. That’s what makes it hard.

‘But at this time we just think it’s the best move from everyone to move on from Matt and let him take care of this situation and focus on that. We’re going to part ways there.

‘It’s a very serious situation, a serious nature and allegations. We don’t have the means to put the facts together. We are trying to do the best we could, be thoughtful and not rush to judgement.

‘How transparent was Matt? Matt gave us his version of events, that is where it’s at. There were many things we could not get our hands on through the resources we have.’

Matt Araiza has been released by Buffalo Bills after being accused of gang rape
GM Brandon Beane said Araiza was released as the situation is 'bigger than football'

Beane said the Bills were unaware of the situation around Azaria before the NFL Draft in April.

‘We’ve reached out to I can tell you double digit teams at this point, and no one had anything on this,’ Beane said. ‘These names were sealed, wherever the investigation was at that point.

‘Yes, if we had this, and we get things like this from guys, you know how important the character and the culture is to Sean (McDermott) and me and anything that would have been lingering, that would have been off our board.’

The Bills made the decision not to dress Araiza during the team’s final preseason game Friday against the Carolina Panthers after head coach Sean McDermott stated ‘he learned new details’.

‘I would say there has been some (new detail in the last 24 hours), I’m not going to deny that and that’s why I have more work to do on this,’ McDermott said. ‘I’m trying to be solution oriented right now.

‘It was my decision (for him not to play). I didn’t feel it was right. I made the decision at some point today, I felt it was the right thing to do and that’s what we are after.

‘It’s not easy to hear about some of the things that I’ve heard about in the last several hours and I haven’t slept a lot to be honest with you.

‘This is a game but there are other things more important than this.’

Araiza said in a statement on Friday that he will 'quickly set the record straight'
Nowlin "Pa'a" Ewaliko
Zavier Leonard
Speaking after preseason game Friday , coach Sean McDermott said he had learned new details in the last 24 hours

Araiza put out a statement while the Bills were playing on Friday, which said: ‘The facts of the incident are not what they are portrayed in the lawsuit or in the press. I look forward to quickly setting the record straight.’

According to McDermott the team did not know Araiza was planning to release a statement at that time.

The lawsuit, filed in San Diego County Superior Court, accuses Araiza, Zavier Leonard and Nowlin ‘Pa’a’ Ewaliko of gang raping a then-17-year-old girl at a Halloween party.

The plaintiff, now 18, is identified in the complaint as ‘Jane Doe’ because she was underage at the time.

Buffalo Bills punter Araiza told his 17-year-old rape accuser in a police-monitored phone call that she needed to be tested for chlamydia after an alleged hour-and-a-half-long attack that left her 'bloody and crying,' according to a court filing obtained by DailyMail.com

There is a criminal investigation into the allegations, according to the Los Angeles Times, which first reported the lawsuit. No arrests have been made and San Diego Police have not publicly identified any suspects.

Araiza would not be subject to the NFL personal conduct policy over the alleged rape because it took place in 2021, before he was a league player.

The lawsuit states that the teen had been drinking with friends when they decided to go to the party on October 17 and she was ‘observably intoxicated upon arrival.’ She became separated from her friends and was approached by Araiza who offered her a drink, according to the lawsuit.

She believes the drink ‘not only contained alcohol, but other intoxicating substances,’ the complaint said.

Araiza waves to fans after a preseason NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Orchard Park, New York on August 13

She told Araiza, who was 21 at the time, that she was a high school senior, according to the lawsuit. She alleges he then led her to a side yard where he asked her to perform oral sex and then had sex with her before taking her to a bedroom in the home.

There were at least three other men in the room, including Leonard and Ewaliko, according to the complaint. The lawsuit states that Araiza threw the teen onto the bed and she went in and out of consciousness while she was being raped. It added, ‘but she does remember some moments from the horrific gang rape.’

After an hour-and-a-half, the teen ‘stumbled out of the room bloody and crying,’ according to the complaint. Her nose, belly button, and ear piercings had been pulled out.

She immediately told her friends about the rape and the next day reported it to police and underwent a rape exam, according to the lawsuit. Officers coached her on calling Araiza, which she did 10 days later as detectives recorded it, according to the complaint.

During the call, Araiza acknowledged having sex with her, the lawsuit states, but later, when she asked him ‘And did we have actual sex?’ he responded ‘This is Matt Araiza. I don’t remember anything that happened that night’ and hung up.

But before getting off the phone, Araiza did tell Doe to get tested for chlamydia.

Related Posts

VIDEO: Hailee Steinfeld Is Asked To Say 3 Nice Things About The Kansas City Chiefs… Her Response Surprises Everyone!

Josh Allen, Hailee Steinfeld and Patrick Mahomes (Photos by Imagn Images) Actress Hailee Steinfeld, the fiancée of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen , struggled to be “nice” when discussing the archrival Kansas City Chiefs. Hailee Steinfeld has had …

Read more

Caught on Camera! Travis Kelce’s Curious 3-Word Reaction to Meeting Jason and Kylie Kelce’s Newborn Baby

Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce (Photos via Twitter) Travis Kelce couldn’t help but instantly fall in love with seeing his newest niece. Jason Kelce and Kylie Kelce ’s family became a team of six after the Philadelphia Eagles alum and his wife of six years …

Read more

Speechless Fans: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Dazzles in Pink Bikini During Florida Getaway

By MAX WINTERS Published: 14:58 BST, 1 April 2025 | Updated: 14:59 BST, 1 April 2025 Cowboys cheerleader Anna Kate Sundvold has gone viral after posting a bikini shot from a recent vacation in Florida . The Texas Christian University alum, who starred …

Read more

El Oscuro Secreto de una Antigua Tortura China: Agua, Agonía y la Lenta Caída en la Locura

En los anales de la crueldad humana, pocos métodos de tormento han cautivado la imaginación y el horror colectivos como la tortura china del agua. Este procedimiento, también conocido como «goteo chino», trasciende el simple dolor físico para convertirse en un devastador daño psicológico…

Read more

Bebé Elefante Hace Rabieta en Plena Carretera tras Ser Rechazado por su Madre — Lo que Hace Después Sorprende a Todos

Imágenes adorables muestran a un bebé elefante haciendo un berrinche como un niño malhumorado en Sudáfrica, mientras su madre, imperturbable, sigue caminando por la carretera. El pequeño, revoltoso, se tiró al suelo agitando las patas en el aire con la esperanza de…

Read more

Detiene su Auto en Florida y No Puede Creer lo que Ve Frente a Él: Un Impactante Encuentro con un Águila Atrapada

El departamento del sheriff de Florida fue llamado para rescatar a esta emblemática ave estadounidense. La oficina del sheriff de Florida fue llamada para rescatar a un icónica ave estadounidense, el rheus, que quedó atrapado en la rejilla de un auto. La Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Clay, en Florida, compartió…

Read more

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *