Buffalo Bills release punter Matt Araiza in wake of gang-rape lawsuit

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Two days after a civil lawsuit was filed accusing him and two other current and former San Diego State football players of gang raping a minor, the Buffalo Bills parted ways with Araiza.

After being held out of Friday's preseason game against Carolina, Araiza wasn't at practice Saturday and wasn't in the locker room after the game. The plane took him back to Buffalo, N.Y.

Sean McDermott wouldn't comment on Araiza's status or what the team knew before the lawsuit was filed. In the 24 hours after the suit was filed, there was some new information learned, but not if Araiza lied to him.

It's just a matter of trying to find the truth, right? The goal is to find the truth and act in the right way. I keep coming back to that idea of finding the truth to the best of my ability and doing the right thing.

The team said in a statement that they had examined the matter.

Araiza is accused of having sex with a high school senior who was under the age of consent in California in the early morning of October 17, 2021. Zavier Leonard, a redshirt freshman with the Aztecs, and Nowlin Ewaliko, who is no longer on the team, are two of the men named in the suit. For about an hour and a half, she was raped multiple times.

The rape allegations are "just untrue" according to Araiza's criminal attorney.

It is believed that Araiza did not inform the Bills of this issue until after the L.A. Times article.

When the Bills became aware of the allegations, they didn't say when.

The California State University systemwide policy states that a criminal investigation is underway into the alleged events.

The league said in a statement that it was aware of the situation. Araiza won't be subject to the league's personal conduct policy because of the alleged rape.

Matt Haack was released by the Bills on Monday and was replaced by Araiza. He punted four times for the Bills in their game against the Carolinas.

Araiza was drafted by the Bills in the sixth round.