Former Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza is finally speaking out almost a year after being tossed out of the NFL over an accusation of rape that prosecutors now admit was false.
On Tuesday, a 200-page document detailing the investigation conducted by the San Diego DA’s office and the police revealed that Araiza was not even present at a party during the time that a woman claims he raped her back in 2021.
Now Araiza is speaking out after being exonerated by the revelation of the investigation results, Fox News reported.
“I am aware that the facts of this case have been made public,” Araiza said on Tuesday. “I am deeply gratified for the thorough work of the DA’s office in San Diego and for all the witnesses willing to come forward and tell the truth. I am thankful that the facts of this case, as provided by the witnesses, will prove that what I have been saying from the beginning is, in fact, the truth.
Matt Araiza #19 of the Buffalo Bills punts during Bills training camp at Saint John Fisher University on July 24, 2022, in Pittsford, New York. (Joshua Bessex/Getty Images)
“I can only hope that now people will assess me on the facts and not what was falsely claimed in both the civil suit and in the press,” he continued.
“I am beyond thankful for the unwavering support of both my family and friends. They have been a rock in what has been a very dark eight months for me. However, now that the truth is out, I am amazed by the thousands of emails and tweets supporting me. It has truly been a blessing to know so many people have now judged me by the facts,” the former NFL player added.
Araiza was accused of gang rape in a civil lawsuit last August in which the accuser claimed that the player and two of his friends gang-raped her when she was a 17-year-old high school student. She alleged that the rape occurred at a party the players were attending when they were students at San Diego State University.
Matt Araiza #PK01 of the San Diego State Aztecs speaks to reporters during the NFL Draft Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on March 5, 2022, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Prosecutors ruled back in Dec. that they were not going to charge Araiza with rape, but did not reveal why, only saying that there was insufficient evidence to substantiate the claims.
The recent document release, though, finds that prosecutors found that nearly every aspect of the accuser’s story did not check out with video evidence or interviews with witnesses — some of whom where the girl’s own friends.
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