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Buffalo Bills release punter Matt Araiza amid sexual assault allegations

By Matt Warren
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Boise State v San Diego State Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images
Matt Warren is Associate Director of NFL coverage for SB Nation and previously covered the Bills for Buffalo Rumblings for more than a decade.

The Buffalo Bills have told rookie punter Matt Araiza they are releasing him. Word came first from ESPN reporter Adam Schefter. The report was quickly confirmed by the team.

After head coach Sean McDermott met the media alone on Friday, he was joined by general manager Brandon Beane on Saturday evening. The Bills originally planned to have McDermott meet the media at 3:00 PM Eastern, but they delayed it multiple times until after practice. The presser ultimately began just before 8:00 PM Eastern.

His accuser filed a civil lawsuit against Araiza on Thursday with vicious allegations of assault, gang rape, and willfully intoxicating a minor. A criminal investigation has been open since the day after the incident in October 2021, and was just turned over to the district attorney in San Diego.

Buffalo currently does not have a punter on their roster. Backup QB Case Keenum is the emergency holder and third-string QB Matt Barkley is the emergency punter, acquitting himself nicely Friday night.

Later Saturday evening, Araiza’s attorney, Kerry Armstrong shared a statement with the media:

“Matt is very upset and disappointed that his career with the Bills ended not because he played poorly, but because of false allegations leveled against him by a young lady and her attorney. I hope he is back in the NFL soon. He deserves to be, as he is the hardest-working twenty-two-year-old I know.”

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