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Chiefs P Matt Araiza reveals why his return to Highmark Stadium is actually a blessing in disguise

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Sophie Weller | Last updated Nov 15, 2024 11:57 PM ET

Matt Araiza will be returning to Highmark Stadium on Sunday for the Kansas City Chiefs' Week 11 matchup against the Buffalo Bills.

And considering how everything went down during the end of his tenure with Buffalo, everyone is curious about how Araiza is feeling.

But instead of focusing on hte negative, he is looking at this as a positive thing. And that's for one very specific reason.

"It's going to be interesting. I'm really looking forward to it, and I'm looking forward to the first away game for me that I'm familiar with the stadium," he told reporters. "That's something that I'm a little bit more jealous of the veterans that — like at SoFi, they've been there multiple times; they go every year. For me, it was new atmosphere, new stadium, so I'm actually looking forward to [knowing] that stadium (Highmark).

"We got to practice in there a lot. I've played a game in there before. I'm looking forward to that part of it."

Chiefs P Matt Araiza on returning to Buffalo: "It's going to be interesting. I'm really looking forward to it, and I'm looking forward to the first away game for me that I'm familiar with the stadium.

"That's something that I'm a little bit more jealous of the veterans that —…
— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) November 15, 2024

Araiza was selected by the Bills in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but controversy ended his time in Buffalo sooner than expected.

He did not play in the Bills final preseason game, which was just a day after he was named in a lawsuit, alleging that he and two of his former SDSU teammates gang raped a 17-year-old girl at an off-campus party in 2021. The Bills released him after the game.

"This afternoon, we decided that releasing Matt Araiza was the best thing to do. Our culture in Buffalo is more important than winning football games," Bills General Manager Brandon Beane announced in a press conference after deciding to release Araiza.

"This was about - not a football move - it was about letting Matt go handle the situation," Beane added. "This is bigger than football."

Araiza denied the allegations immediately and no criminal charges were every filed. The lawsuit was eventually dropped and Araiza has since been cleared of all wrongdoing.

The Chiefs gave the punter a second chance, and now he will return to Buffalo, but on the other side of the field.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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