Bills release punter Matt Araiza after rape allegations in civil suit | Buffalo

The team announced it has released Araiza, a little more than 48 hours after the public release of a civil suit against him and two of his former San Diego State University teammates.

In discussing the team’s decision Saturday evening, a somber Bills General Manager Brandon Beane said, “Our culture here is more important than winning football games.”

“The last 48 hours have been very difficult for a lot of people,” Beane said. “It’s been tough. … We sympathize with this whole situation, all the parties involved, this young woman, what she went through. Really feel bad for that whole situation. Ultimately this a legal situation, we don’t know all the facts and that’s what makes it hard.

“But at this time,” Beane said, “we just think it’s the best move for everyone to move on from Matt and let him take care of this situation and focus on that.”

Beane made it clear Araiza’s version of the events on the night in question were different than what is alleged in the lawsuit. Araiza released a statement Friday night through his agent saying the “facts of the incident are not what they are portrayed in the lawsuit” and that he looked forward to “quickly setting the record straight.”

Beane said the team did not know about allegations when it picked Araiza in the sixth round of the NFL draft in late April.

“We did not know about this, and the league did not know about this,” Beane said. “We’ve reached out to I can tell you double-digit teams at this point, and no one had anything on this. These names were sealed, wherever the investigation was at that point. Yes, if we had this, and we get things like this from guys, you know how important the character and the culture is to Sean (McDermott) and me. And anything that would have been lingering, (Araiza) would have been off our board.”

Beane said the team did not find out about the allegations until late July. The attorney for the accuser in the case, Daniel Gilleon, spoke with Kathryn D’Angelo, the Bills’ assistant general counsel, on July 31. Araiza’s attorney, Kerry Armstrong, said Friday that he believed Araiza had told the Bills about the situation shortly after a June 3 story appeared in the Los Angeles Times about the incident. The story did not include the names of any San Diego State players. A second story with an interview with the accuser was published July 29. Armstrong said he was retained by Araiza’s parents about six weeks ago. 

“We were trying not to rush to judgment,” Beane said. “And obviously Matt’s version was different. And you want to give everyone as much due process as you can. Again, we’re not a judge and a jury. … “I would say it’s not easy, you’re trying to put facts around a legal situation, sometimes with limited information, and so ultimately that’s where we’re at today with a decision.”

The suit was filed in San Diego County Superior Court. No criminal charges have been filed. The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office confirmed Friday that it was reviewing a police investigation of the incident but offered no timetable for a decision. 

According to the complaint, the teenager, identified as “Jane Doe” had already been drinking with friends when she arrived at the off-campus San Diego home and was “observably intoxicated.”

The teenager said Araiza, then 21, handed her a drink at the party that she believed “not only contained alcohol, but other intoxicating substances,” the suit said. She also said she told Araiza that she was in high school. He then led her to a side yard where he asked her to…