Punter Matt Araiza, who was previously accused of sexually assaulting a minor in 2021, has had the civil lawsuit against him dropped by his accuser.
A woman accused Araiza and four other former San Diego State University football players of raping her at a house party off campus in October 2017. The woman was 17 at the time of the alleged incident. Araiza responded by filing a defamation lawsuit against his accuser.
According to a statement released by Araiza’s camp on Tuesday, the two sides have reached an agreement. The woman will dismiss her complaint against Araiza. In exchange, Araiza will drop his countersuit against her.
Araiza will not be making any monetary payments. He is also reserving the right to pursue legal action against the accuser’s attorney, Dan Gillion.
The San Diego District Attorney’s Office was previously tasked with going through the police findings from the San Diego Police Department’s criminal investigation on the matter. The DA’s office determined in December 2022 that the evidence did “not support the filing of criminal charges.”
The Buffalo Bills drafted Araiza in the 6th round of the 2022 NFL Draft and signed him to a contract worth $3.8 million. The Bills voided Araiza’s contract once public pressure mounted from the allegations.
Araiza was nicknamed the “Punt God” coming out of college due to his incredible ability to pin opposing offenses deep into their own territory. He went viral during a 2022 Bills preseason contest when he uncorked a monstrous 82-yard punt in a win against the Indianapolis Colts (video here).
Another AFC team brought Araiza in for a workout during the offseason but did not offer him a contract.
With the allegations against Araiza now dropped, the SDSU alum may draw interest from NFL squads.
