“Bills' GM Brandon Beane said the team struggled to get answers about punter Matt Araiza, they’re still piecing it together, and that ‘there are many things that we could not get our hands on. This was about letting Matt go handle his situation,'” Schefterreportedvia Twitter.
On Thursday, a lawsuit was filed in the San Diego County Superior Court accusing the three men of sexually assaulting the teenager at an off-campus party, according to theLos Angeles Times.
The two other men accused are present and past San Diego State football players Zavier Leonard and Nowlin “Pa’a” Ewaliko,Los Angeles Timesreported
Adrian Kraus/AP/Shutterstock
Araiza, 22, is accused in the lawsuit of having sex with the minor outside a home and then bringing her inside where the alleged assault involving the three men took place, the newspaper reported.
In the lawsuit, the alleged victim, who was a high school senior at the time, claims she went in and out of consciousness but remembers moments of the alleged assault involving the three men.
Araiza’s lawyer, Kerry Armstrong, denied the accusation, tellingThe Los Angeles Times, that he can produce witnesses from the party who contradict the allegations against the athlete.
Armstrong told the outlet, “It’s a shakedown because he’s now with the Buffalo Bills,” adding that he has “no doubt” that his client is innocent.
Armstrong did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
After filing the suit, the alleged victim’s attorney, Dan Gilleon, shared photos of bruising on his client that Gilleon said was from after the alleged assault.
“I feel like I should be documenting how I feel just to get through it but I don’t even know how to feel,” the handwritten diaryread, “A part of me can’t help but feel guilty and wonder if I could have prevented it.”
“After over 10 months now since the incident and report filings with the SDPD and SDSUPD and over two and a half months of media coverage, the SDPD hasn’t made any arrests, SDSU hasn’t made any updates on their Title IX investigation, and the DA has yet to file any criminal charges,” he said in the statement.
The father continued, “In an effort to protect other women from this happening again, to hold those that participated accountable, and to continue the healing process and try and gain some semblance of control where she has had none, my daughter felt it was time to file civil charges.”
Amid the news, Bills coach Sean McDermott did not let Araiza play on Friday against the Panthers and lateraddressed the situation in a post-game press conference.
“I want to talk about something that’s more important, which is what we have going on with one of our members of our team right now. And Matt Araiza is a situation that is extremely serious,” McDermott said. “It’s just hard to go through and it’s not a situation that I or we take lightly whatsoever. It’s very serious. I understand the sensitivity of the situation.”
He continued, explaining why he told Araiza not to play. “It was my decision and at the end of the day I didn’t feel like it was right to [have him play], that’s what I’m after is doing the right thing,” the NFL coach said.
He continued, “It’s not a situation we take lightly, I’m hurt, I understand they’re hurt and it’s emotional, it’s not easy to hear some of the things I’ve heard about over the last several hours. This is a game, but there are other things that are more important than this.”
“It’s just a matter of trying to find the truth at the end of the day,” he added. “That’s the goal. Find the truth and do the right thing. And that’s what I keep coming back to in my mind and my heart is find out the truth to the best of my ability and do the right thing.”
The Buffalo Bills did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
