Friday night was never going to be solely about football for the Bills.
The night before, as the team was traveling to Charlotte for a preseason game against Panthers, the Los Angeles Times reported that rookie punter Matt Araiza had been accused of taking part in a gang rape of a 17-year-old woman last October while he was at San Diego State.
Araiza, who was inactive for the game, issued a statement Friday claiming his innocence.
“The facts of the incident are not what they are portrayed in the lawsuit or in the press,” Araiza said (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter). “I look forward to quickly setting the record straight.”
After the game, Bills coach Sean McDermott was careful to sound neutral in his press conference, but he was clearly emotional on the podium as he answered questions.
What did Sean McDermott say about Matt Araiza?
“It’s not a situation we take lightly,” McDermott said when he was asked what he would say to Bills fans. “I’m hurt. I understand [women are] hurt. And it’s emotional. It’s not easy to hear about some of the things I’ve heard about over the last several hours, and I haven’t slept a lot, to be honest with you. Because this is a game. But there’s other things that are more important than this.”
“This is a game, but there are other things that are more important than this.” pic.twitter.com/Me6ybkRfzD
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 27, 2022
Per NFL Network’s Mike Giardi, McDermott said it was his decision to bench Araiza, whom McDermott named the starting punter over incumbent Matt Haack days earlier. Third-string quarterback Matt Barkley punted Friday.
“It’s clear we have work to do to continue to figure this thing out here,” McDermott said, per Giardi.
According to NFL Media’s Grant Gordon, McDermott also said, “We want to find the truth and do this the right way. . . . We’re working on finding that truth.”
What did the Bills know of the allegations?
The Bills have been criticized since the Times’ story came out for their predraft vetting of Araiza. The team said in a statement Thursday that it conducted an investigation after learning that the woman was suing Araiza and two other San Diego State players.
“We were recently made aware of a civil complaint involving Matt from October 2021,” the Bills said. “Due to the serious nature of the complaint, we conducted a thorough examination of this matter. As this is an ongoing civil case, we will have no other comment at this point.”
McDermott’s comments Friday implied that some information is new to him. That makes the timeline of what the Bills did and didn’t know confusing.
According to The Athletic’s Tim Graham, the Bills were made aware of the allegations last month, which would mean after they drafted Araiza in April but before they named him the starter.
Source tells me the Bills were made aware of the accusations against Araiza last month. They did not know when they drafted him, but did know when they cut Matt Haack on Monday.
— Tim Graham (@ByTimGraham) August 26, 2022
The next step for the Bills will be to determine if it’s in their best interest to stay with Araiza.
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