Matt Araiza’s Parents Complain They’ve Been ‘Canceled’ After Gang-Rape Allegation

The parents of ex-Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza have released a statement lashing out at what they describe as a “war” being waged against their son over gang-rape allegations and complaining that they have been “canceled.”

“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,” read a statement from the family released late Monday. “People have taken this information as factual, when it is not,” Araiza’s parents said.

“He has been extorted, discriminated against, harassed and the subject of multiple and continuous threats of violence and death,” the statement read, calling the allegations against Araiza “salacious rumors.”

“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.”

The statement comes after the Buffalo Bills released Araiza from the team over the weekend, just two days after he was named in a civil lawsuit alleging the standout rookie took part in a brutal gang rape of a 17-year-old at a Halloween party last year while at San Diego State.

“This afternoon, we decided that releasing Matt Araiza was the best thing to do,”General Manager Brandon Beane said in a statement shared by the team’s official Twitter account. “Our culture in Buffalo is more important than winning football games.”

The now-18-year-old woman who filed the civil lawsuit has defended herself against claims by Araiza’s lawyer that the allegations were part of a “shakedown.”

In comments to CBS News, the unnamed woman said she was “sick to her stomach” at the allegation made by lawyer Kerry Armstrong that she made the accusation against Araiza for money. “If she really was raped in that back bedroom, that’s horrible. It’s a horrible thing to happen to anybody,” Armstrong told CBS. “But all I know is that Mr. Araiza had nothing to do with it, and the only thing I can think of as to why she's included him in this civil lawsuit is because of money.”

The lawsuit alleges that the incident took place at a Halloween party last year where the alleged victim was plied with alcohol that was likely spiked with “other intoxicating substances” before being assaulted by multiple men. She specifically accused Araiza of making her perform oral sex on him before he “pulled her up from the ground, turned her around facing away from the party, and penetrated her from behind.” She said he then took her to a back bedroom where a group of men “took turns raping her for an hour and a half.”

The teen said she then went to police to report the rape. They eventually had her call Araiza, who on a taped phone call advised her to get tested for chlamydia, according to the lawsuit.

There is an ongoing criminal investigation into the alleged incident, though no arrests have been made.

The accuser says she is the one facing consequences for Araiza’s alleged actions. “I reported it the day after it happened,” she said. “I was 17 years old and I had no idea who Matt Araiza was.”

The young woman wrote about the rape in her diary after she went to police, according to her lawyer, who posted photos of the handwritten diary entries on Twitter. “All I keep replaying in my mind is being face down in a random bed just waiting for it to be over,” she wrote.

She told CBS she was shocked when Araiza was drafted by the Buffalo Bills despite her having reported the alleged rape. “I was having to deal with this horrible traumatic experience that I never asked for,” she said. “I can’t put into words how upsetting it was when I’ve been facing consequences for his actions.”

The San Diego District Attorney is considering whether to file criminal charges against any of the young men named in the suit.

San Diego State has defended its decision to delay a university-led inquiry into the alleged rape, saying Monday that school officials were simply following guidance from local police.

“I want to reinforce that we have and continue to support the criminal investigation done by the San Diego Police Department and we also support the district attorney's review of the case. What was reported to have happened should never happen, ever,” football coach Brady Hoke told reporters.

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