An lawyer for the lady who says NFL rookie punter Matt Araiza raped her final 12 months when she was 17 blasted the Buffalo Payments on Saturday, even after the group launched Araiza.
“The Buffalo Payments had no alternative however to chop their younger punter after so badly botching their response to our declare: they ignored us, as if what I warned them would occur may very well be prevented if they only stored their heads within the sand,’’ lawyer Dan Gilleon stated in an announcement supplied to USA TODAY Sports activities. “That is what enablers do.”
“My consumer’s life was ceaselessly scarred in October 2021,” Gilleon added, referring to the Halloween social gathering in San Diego the place the lady, now 18, says Araiza, then 21, assaulted her throughout a gang-rape, “however she dealt with herself with grace and dignity. Not as soon as did she specific to me a want to harm her assaulters out of revenge or hatred. She by no means requested for a pound of flesh. Her solely ask was the type of justice which may save different younger ladies from the hell she skilled.’’
Araiza, an All-American at San Diego State final 12 months who was nicknamed “Punt God,’’ was drafted by the Payments within the sixth spherical. He gained the beginning job on Monday, however on Thursday the lady’s lawyer filed a civil lawsuit in San Diego County Superior Court docket that included detailed rape allegations and two days later he was out of a job.
“Matt could be very dissatisfied that his profession with the Payments ended not as a result of he performed poorly, however due to false allegations leveled towards him by a younger woman and her lawyer,’’ lawyer Kerry Armstrong, who represents Araiza, stated in an announcement he supplied to USA TODAY Sports activities. “I hope he’s again within the NFL quickly. He deserves to be, as he’s the hardest-working (22-year-old) I do know.’’
Armstrong drew withering criticism from the lady’s lawyer.
“When she approved me to contact Matt Araiza and the opposite defendants, she made it clear that cash was not her goal,’’ Gilleon stated. “She by no means requested for a dime from Matt Araiza. Mr. Araiza’s lawyer knew that. He knew that he had supplied us cash to settle the case and that we had rejected the supply. But, Mr. Araiza’s authorized counsel had the audacity to go on a despicable, brainless TV tour to defame my consumer as a ‘shakedown’ artist and ‘cash grabber.’
“Take into consideration that. Mr. Araiza’s authorized agent knew {that a} 17-year-old woman had left a room the place Matt Araiza was additionally current, coated in blood and bruises and crying that she had been raped. But, he stooped so low that he was prepared to label that 17-year-old woman an opportunistic grifter.
“This was completely inhumane and stunningly silly. If Matt Araiza had proven 1% of the grace that my consumer has, maybe by providing an apology and donating his cash to a charity serving rape survivors, he would nonetheless be a Buffalo Invoice and his mother and father may sit within the stands and watch their son with satisfaction. As an alternative, he determined to rent an lawyer who knew solely to viciously assault the younger girl his consumer had raped. Now Mr. Araiza’s life is ceaselessly scarred too. Maybe that is the self-inflicted justice he deserves.”
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In an announcement Thursday, the Payments stated they “had been just lately made conscious of a civil grievance involving Matt from October 2021. As a result of critical nature of the grievance, we performed a radical examination of this matter. As that is an ongoing civil case, we could have no different remark at this level.”
However on Friday, the Payments held Araiza out from the final preseason recreation and on Saturday the group launched him.
“The final 48 hours has been very tough, for lots of people. It has been very robust,” Payments basic supervisor Brandon Beane stated at a press convention Saturday. “We sympathize with this complete state of affairs, all of the events concerned. This younger girl, what she went by. You actually really feel unhealthy for that complete state of affairs. Finally, it is a authorized state of affairs – we do not know all of the information. That is what makes it laborious.
“However presently, we simply suppose it is the very best transfer for everybody to maneuver on from Matt and let him deal with this example and give attention to that, so we’ll half methods there.”
The Payments’ releasing Araiza earned no reward from Gilleon, who in a earlier interview with USA TODAY Sports activities stated the Payments didn’t converse to the lady and stated, “They didn’t do an investigation. I imply, you may’t examine if you don’t even ask the first witness what occurred.”
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The alleged incident befell Oct. 16-17 at an off-campus social gathering close to San Diego State the place Araiza lived, in response to the lawsuit.
The lady stated Araiza, who was 21 on the time, gave her a drink she believes “not solely contained alcohol, however different intoxicating substances” regardless of her saying she was in highschool, in response to the lawsuit. The lawsuit says Araiza took the intoxicated teen to the facet of the home and advised her to carry out oral intercourse on him earlier than he “pulled her up from the bottom, turned her round dealing with away from the social gathering,” and penetrated her from behind.
Then, the lady stated, Araiza took her to a bed room the place his teammates took turns raping her for an hour and a half, in response to the lawsuit. The lady additionally stated she was raped by two different soccer gamers, Zavier Leonard and Nowlin “Pa’a” Ewaliko. Each are now not listed on the San Diego State roster.
The lady stated she went out and in of consciousness through the sexual assault, in response to the lawsuit.
Within the lawsuit, the lady is listed as Jane Doe and it is USA TODAY coverage to not determine individuals who allegedly have been sexually assaulted.
Gilleon stated the Payments by no means spoke to his consumer and characterised the group as largely nonresponsive to him.
On July 31, Gilleon emailed the Payments’ basic counsel, Kathryn D’Angelo, and stated he represented the lady who accused Araiza of raping her as a part of a gang-rape, in response to a duplicate of the e-mail obtained by USA TODAY Sports activities.
Gilleon has stated he spoke to D’Angelo by telephone the subsequent day.
“I had one dialog with (D’Angelo),’’ Gilleon stated. “Prolonged dialog. She didn’t ask too many questions. I simply did lots of the speaking.
“She stated she would get again to me and she or he by no means did. After which I adopted up with an electronic mail to her saying, ‘Hey, two weeks in the past you advised me you’d get again to me. You haven’t.’ And nonetheless no reply in anyway.’’
Derek Boyko, the Vice President of Communications for the Payments, did not instantly reply to a request for remark from USA TODAY Sports activities by telephone.
Contributing: Cydney Henderson