In the face of a major public backlash and internal questions over the decision to award Matt Araiza the punting job, the Buffalo Bills reversed course and cut the rookies on Saturday.
The last two days have been difficult for many people. It has been a difficult experience. Brandon Beane, the general manager, said during a news conference that the team sympathizes with the situation of the young woman.
We think it's best for everyone to move on from Matt and let him take care of this situation. We're going to split ways there.
The allegations against Araiza were not brought to the attention of the Bills. They would have removed him from consideration if they had known.
The decision to cut ties with their sixth-round draft pick comes after Buffalo cleared the way for Araiza to take over the punting duties.
While the Bills were aware of the allegations against Araiza, they decided to keep him. A day after the lawsuit was filed, the team stood by the player.
The results of the San Diego police investigation have not been made public, so the team did as much as it could to get as much information as possible. He said the team didn't rush to judgment because it had the information it needed.
You want to make sure everyone is treated fairly. We aren't a judge and a jury.
The team considered the victim's version of events according to the lawsuit.
They were taken very seriously. Everyone should understand that. There is a serious deal there.
The release of Araiza will ease a crisis which has shaken the team, as evidenced by the difficulty in controlling his emotions while discussing the situation following a 21-0 preseason loss at Carolina on Friday night.
Araiza was supposed to play against Carolina, but he was held out. The facts of the incident are not what they are portrayed in the lawsuit or in the press, as stated by the player's agent, Joe Linta. I will quickly set the record straight.
Third-string quarterback Matt Barkley handled the punting duties.
Kerry Armstrong, Araiza's lawyer, told The Associated Press that his client was upset and disappointed that his career with the Bills ended not because he played poorly, but because of false allegations leveled against him. I hope he returns to the football field.
Araiza and two teammates were accused of raping a girl at a Halloween party at an off-campus home. The district attorney's office in San Diego has been given the investigation. There is no timetable as to how long a decision will take.
The Bills didn't know about the allegations against Araiza when they selected him in the sixth round of the draft. Araiza earned the nickname "Punt God" because of his booming left leg, but he was the third punt pick in the draft.
In the months leading up to the draft, it is not clear if Araiza informed the league about the allegations.
Executives from two different teams told The Associated Press that they became aware of Araiza's involvement in an incident during the draft process. The executives from three other teams said they did not know about the allegations against Araiza before the draft. The people spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter.
The Bills knew by the end of July that Dan Gilleon, the lawyer for the alleged victim, had contacted the team's legal counsel.
She looked like she was worried. Gilleon said that she never did when she said she would get back to him. They just ignored that, too, because I followed up and said, "Hey, you guys haven't talked to me and called me back like you said you would,"
The client was told to inform the Bills about the allegations, according to the client's lawyer. Over the past month, he kept in touch with the Bills and provided details of his own investigation into what happened.
He doesn't believe that he ever raped this girl or had sex with her while she was drunk.
After conducting a thorough examination, the Bills decided to cut Haack.
A person with knowledge of the situation told The AP that the Bills informed the league of the incident once they were aware of it. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter.
The NFL said it was aware of the situation.
That's right.
Julie and Rob contributed to the report.
That's right.
The AP has more about the NFL and the Pro-32 team.
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