Officials Say Ex-Bills Punter Matt Araiza Won’t be Charged for Rape

Officials in San Diego have said that they won’t be charging former Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza after being accused of being part of gang rape in college.

San Diego’s district attorney, Summer Stephan, said Wednesday that they will not be filing any charges against Ariaza or his former teammates, Zavier Leonard and Nowlin “Pa’a” Ewaliko.

“Ultimately, prosecutors determined it is clear the evidence does not support the filing of criminal charges, and there is no path to a potential criminal conviction,” Stephan said, according to the New York Post. “Prosecutors can only file charges when they ethically believe they can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Araiza was accused of gang rape in a civil lawsuit in August. The accuser claimed that the player and two of his friends gang-raped a 17-year-old student when the players were attending San Diego State University.

The woman claimed that Araiza gave the girl a drink that she said: “not only contained alcohol but other intoxicating substances.” She added that the player pressured her to give him oral sex, but after that, the three players took turns raping her for more than an hour.

The player’s attorney, though, claimed that the accusation was a “shakedown” by an accuser trying to extort money from an NFL player.

“It’s a shakedown because he’s now with the Buffalo Bills,” attorney Kerry Armstrong said at the time. “There is no doubt in my mind that Matt Araiza ever raped that girl.”

Still, the Bills released Araiza from his contract after the accusations despite the fact that nothing was ever proven and charges are being dropped.

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