Bills never reached out to accuser in Matt Araiza rape lawsuit, attorney says

Content warning: This story contains details about alleged sexual assault. When news broke Thursday that rookie punter Matt Araiza had been accused of participating in the gang rape of a 17-year-old high school student last fall in San Diego, the Buffalo Bills stated they had conducted a “thorough examination of this matter.” The accuser’s attorney told The Athletic on Friday morning the Bills never reached out to him or his client after an initial conversation with the team’s counsel. “Never heard from them again.” A civil lawsuit filed Thursday in California alleges Araiza and two former San Diego State teammates, Zavier Leonard and Pa’a Ewaliko, committed rape, false imprisonment and gender-violence crimes on Oct. 17, 2021, at an off-campus Halloween party. Kerry Armstrong, who is Araiza’s criminal defense attorney but was given permission to speak on Araiza’s behalf about the civil case, appeared on a San Diego television station Thursday night and said his client is “100 percent adamant” that he never forced Jane Doe to have sex. I don’t know if they are hickeys or bruises … I’m supposed to go to school tomorrow and I’m scared people will see.” The lawsuit claims a police investigation involved detectives coaching her through supervised conversations and includes direct quotes from Araiza advising her to be examined for a sexually transmitted disease.