Former Bills punter Matt Araiza’s family says they have been swamped with “horrific threats of violence and death” since a woman accused the player of rape.
Speaking to KUSI in San Diego, Araiza’s parents said that their lives are being “canceled” by detractors after an unnamed woman filed a lawsuit against Araiza and claiming that he and several others committed a gang rape of her when she was a 17-year-old student on 2021.
The player’s parents told the station, “The rule of law is innocent until proven guilty. That is not our experience. There has been a war waged on our son,” they wrote in their statement.
“He has been tried and convicted in the media based on information released solely from the alleged victim and her attorney, much of it through social media,” they added.
“People have taken his information as factual, when it is not,” they said.
The woman claimed that she was in attendance at a Halloween party, and Araiza and several of his San Diego State football player pals took her to a room and took turns raping her for more than an hour.
Araiza, now 22, flatly denied the accusations, but Buffalo released him anyway before an investigation into the charges could be made.
The family says that the ordeal has been a living hell for them and that no one is paying attention to multiple witnesses who say the rape could not have happened.
“He has been extorted, discriminated against, harassed and the subject of multiple and continuous threats of violence and death,” the parents added. “He has been released from his job and our entire family continues to receive horrific threats of violence and death. We have all been canceled. Every member of our family.”
“Salacious rumors grew as fact,” they concluded. “There are multiple witness reports to deny the claims that are made against him. The legal system is designed to find the facts and make decisions. They should be allowed to do that.”
A criminal investigation continues in the case, but police have issued no charges, nor have they made arrests.
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