Bills head coach Sean McDermott said he has learned new information in the last day concerning the rape allegations his punter, Matt Araiza, faces, and that he wants to learn more.
“I would say there’s been some [new information in the last 24 hours], and I’m not going to deny that, and that’s why I have more work to do on this,” McDermott told reporters after Buffalo’s 21-0 preseason loss to the Panthers in Carolina on Friday. “I’m more trying to be solution-oriented right now. And that’s where I’m headed. And that’s where we need to be headed.”
Matt AraizaGetty Images
Bills head coach Sean McDermott speaks to the media following Buffalo’s game against Carolina on Friday night.APStill, McDermott declined to reveal when he was made aware Araiza has been accused of rape; declined to reveal insight into Araiza’s character; declined to state whether he was pleased with the team’s response to the allegation; declined to state whether Araiza would remain with the team; and declined to state whether he believes Araiza’s denial.
“It’s a matter of trying to find the truth at the end of the day,” McDermott said. “That’s the goal: Find the truth and do the right thing.”
During the game, Araiza — who did not play because McDermott said he “didn’t feel like it was right” to play him — released his first public statement since being accused of participating in a gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at an off-campus party last year while he was at San Diego State University.
“The facts of the incident are not what they are portrayed in the lawsuit or in the press,” Araiza said in the statement to various media outlets. “I look forward to quickly setting the record straight.”
According to The Athletic, the Bills were made aware of the gang rape allegation last month — after they had drafted Araiza but before they had released Matt Haack, a transaction that made Araiza the only punter on the team’s roster, all but assuring him a spot. On Friday, backup quarterback Matt Barkley filled in at punter.
In a statement, the team said it “conducted a thorough examination of this matter. As this is an ongoing civil case, we will have no other comment at this point.”
McDermott, who said he has lost sleep and learned more about the matter since the allegation has become public, continually said there is “more work to be done.” When asked if he was satisfied with the way the team has handled the allegation, he added, “We have work to do.”
Araiza, known as the “Punt God” because of his booming leg, is facing a lawsuit filed in San Diego County Superior Court. The 22-year-old is accused — along with former Aztec teammates Zavier Leonard and Nowlin “Pa’a” Ewaliko — of rape, gender violence and false imprisonment. In the suit, the alleged victim says she was in and out of consciousness but “remembers moments as the men took turns assaulting her.”
Kerry Armstrong, who is serving as Araiza’s lawyer, told the Los Angeles Times, “It’s a shakedown because he’s now with the Buffalo Bills.”
