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 workforce 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 could possibly be averted if they simply stored their heads within the sand,’’ lawyer Dan Gilleon mentioned in a press release offered to USA TODAY Sports activities. “That is what enablers do.”
“My consumer’s life was perpetually scarred in October 2021,” Gilleon added, referring to the Halloween occasion 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 categorical to me a need 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 that 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 Courtroom that included detailed rape allegations and two days later he was out of a job.
“Matt may 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 girl and her lawyer,’’ lawyer Kerry Armstrong, who represents Araiza, mentioned in a press release he offered 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 intention,’’ Gilleon mentioned. “She by no means requested for a dime from Matt Araiza. Mr. Araiza’s lawyer knew that. He knew that he had provided 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 totally 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 a substitute, he determined to rent an lawyer who knew solely to viciously assault the younger lady his consumer had raped. Now Mr. Araiza’s life is perpetually scarred too. Maybe that is the self-inflicted justice he deserves.”
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In a press release Thursday, the Payments mentioned they “had been not too long ago made conscious of a civil grievance involving Matt from October 2021. As a result of severe nature of the grievance, we performed an intensive examination of this matter. As that is an ongoing civil case, we may have no different remark at this level.”
However on Friday, the Payments held Araiza out from the final preseason sport and on Saturday the workforce launched him.
“The final 48 hours has been very tough, for lots of people. It has been very powerful,” Payments normal supervisor Brandon Beane mentioned at a press convention Saturday. “We sympathize with this entire state of affairs, all of the events concerned. This younger lady, what she went by way of. You actually really feel unhealthy for that entire state of affairs. Finally, this can be a authorized state of affairs – we do not know all of the information. That is what makes it onerous.
“However presently, we simply assume it is the very best transfer for everybody to maneuver on from Matt and let him deal with this example and concentrate on that, so we will half methods there.”
The Payments’ releasing Araiza earned no reward from Gilleon, who in a earlier interview with USA TODAY Sports activities mentioned the Payments didn’t communicate to the lady and mentioned, “They didn’t do an investigation. I imply, you possibly can’t examine whenever you don’t even ask the first witness what occurred.”
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The alleged incident happened Oct. 16-17 at an off-campus occasion close to San Diego State the place Araiza lived, based on the lawsuit.
The lady mentioned 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, based on the lawsuit. The lawsuit says Araiza took the intoxicated teen to the facet of the home and informed her to carry out oral intercourse on him earlier than he “pulled her up from the bottom, turned her round going through away from the occasion,” and penetrated her from behind.
Then, the lady mentioned, Araiza took her to a bed room the place his teammates took turns raping her for an hour and a half, based on the lawsuit. The lady additionally mentioned she was raped by two different soccer gamers, Zavier Leonard and Nowlin “Pa’a” Ewaliko. Each are not listed on the San Diego State roster.
The lady mentioned she went out and in of consciousness in the course of the sexual assault, based on the lawsuit.
Within the lawsuit, the lady is listed as Jane Doe and it is USA TODAY coverage to not establish individuals who allegedly have been sexually assaulted.
Gilleon mentioned the Payments by no means spoke to his consumer and characterised the workforce as largely nonresponsive to him.
On July 31, Gilleon emailed the Payments’ normal counsel, Kathryn D’Angelo, and mentioned he represented the lady who accused Araiza of raping her as a part of a gang-rape, based on a duplicate of the e-mail obtained by USA TODAY Sports activities.
Gilleon has mentioned he spoke to D’Angelo by cellphone the following day.
“I had one dialog with (D’Angelo),’’ Gilleon mentioned. “Prolonged dialog. She didn’t ask too many questions. I simply did numerous the speaking.
“She mentioned she would get again to me and he or she by no means did. After which I adopted up with an e-mail to her saying, ‘Hey, two weeks in the past you informed me you’d get again to me. You haven’t.’ And nonetheless no reply in any respect.’’
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 cellphone.
Contributing: Cydney Henderson
