“Pay him whatever he lost”- Buffalo Bills face heavy criticism from fans after key evidence absolves former punter Matt Araiza from r*pe charges

Fans are calling out the Buffalo Bills franchise for cutting former punter Matt Araiza without conducting a detailed investigation into the allegations levied against him.

“Pay him whatever he lost”- Buffalo Bills face heavy criticism from fans after key evidence absolves former punter Matt Araiza from r*pe charges

Matt Araiza was on track to have a successful NFL career until certain allegations turned his life upside down. (IMAGE: GETTY Images)

Matt Araiza has witnessed a major breakthrough in the case which was filed against him last year. The former NFL punter was accused of allegedly r*ping a minor which took place in October of 2021. Once these allegations against him surfaced in the public, it did not take long for the punter to receive backlash from fans and media outlets, which essentially put pressure upon the Buffalo Bills organization to take action. The team cut him off almost immediately.

These allegations led to a criminal civil lawsuit. Now, after a detailed investigation and presentation of evidence by prosecutors, the truth has finally surfaced. Matt Araiza became the victim of a public trial and paid for it by losing his job and image in the eyes of fans. Prosecutors in the case have confirmed that Matt Araiza was not present when the alleged incident took place at a party in October 2021 as per Alaina Getzenberg.

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Araiza is finally relieved and made this statement to Pro Football Talk, “I am aware that the facts of this case have been made public. I am deeply gratified for the thorough work of the DA’s office in San Diego and for all the witnesses that were willing to come forward and tell the truth. I am thankful that the facts of this case as provided by the witnesses will prove that what I have been saying from the beginning is, in fact, the truth.”

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The Buffalo Bills were quick to cut Matt Araiza when the allegations against the punter initially surfaced

Matt Araiza
Matt Araiza. (Associated Press)

The news that Araiza will not be subject to criminal charges emerged in December and while that surprised many at the time, the reason for it has emerged now. The prosecutors’ confirmation that he was nowhere at the site wherein the alleged gang r*pe took place is enough to prove that he had no role to play in this incident.

However, his NFL career has been drastically impacted by this incident. Matt Araiza was stellar as a rookie. He quickly earned the moniker ‘Punt God’ in the league after his 82-yard punt against the Indianapolis Colts. He was also the recipient of the 2021 Ray Guy Award for being college football’s top punter after he averaged 51.2 yards per punt.

Now, Matt Araiza is a free agent once more and despite the existence of a civil case, the outcome of this is not likely to impact his ability to play in the league in any manner. The league’s Personal Conduct Policy will not be an issue even if he does incur some form of civil liability.

Former NFL QB and sports commentator for ESPN, Robert Griffin III came out in support of Matt Araiza by stating that the punter now deserves the chance to get back on the field. His tweet was received well by fans who also agreed that teams ought to give Matt the chance to get back in the NFL, as he is a great punter who is talented and skilled. Take a look at RG III’s tweet and the responses to it on Twitter:

The least the Bills could do is to offer him a chance to return to the team. He does deserve it.

Once the public perception gets negative, the person is branded guilty until proven otherwise. Things like this greatly impact one’s career.

https://twitter.com/TheWenzz/status/1656154236596494336?s=20

If Araiza was a franchise player or a superstar, the team may have taken the trouble to do that, but that may not be worth going through for a sixth-round rookie punter. The NFL is a business. The moment any team feels a player could negatively impact the image of the team, they are likely to cut ties with them.

The Buffalo Bills should really consider bringing Araiza back. His game was never an issue, and now after the emergence of concrete evidence which exonerates him from the allegations, there is nothing to worry about his character either.

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