Matt Araiza. Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Civil suit against ex-Bills punter Matt Araiza dropped

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Dec 12, 2023 7:42 PM ET

Given everything that’s happened over the last year and a half, Tuesday was a moment of vindication for ex-Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza.

The woman who accused Araiza of rape during a party in October 2021 dropped her civil suit against the former San Diego State punter. Araiza did not pay her any money and did not admit any guilt.

“The win is bittersweet,” Araiza’s lawyer Dick Semerdjian said in a statement, via Yahoo Sports. “Matt has been forced to defend himself for the last 16 months against false accusations and a campaign to ruin his career in the NFL. He will never get this time in his life back.”

The news comes one year after Araiza was exonerated by prosecutors of any involvement in the alleged assault after San Diego deputy district attorney Trisha Amador found no evidence suggesting Araiza was involved with the attack.

Araiza filed a defamation suit against her six months ago. He’s since dropped it, but maintains his right to sue her attorney Dan Gilleon, according to Yahoo Sports.

Mere accusations can ruin someone’s life, even after they’ve turned out to be false. Unfortunately for Matt Araiza, he has little recourse now that he has dropped his defamation case against his accuser. He says he plans to sue her attorney for defamation, but that’s a case he… pic.twitter.com/qUEzjd8Sqg
— Lexie Rigden (@LexieTheLawyer) December 12, 2023

The Bills released Araiza, who signed a four-year, $3.8M contract with the team after being drafted in the sixth round of the 2022 draft, just two days after the allegations surfaced.

Now with the incident behind him, Araiza has turned his attention to trying to revive his NFL career. His agent Joe Linta sent approximately 20 NFL teams an audio file of deputy district attorney Amador explaining why no charges were filed against Araiza in May in hopes of repairing his image in the public eye.

Araiza worked out for the New York Jets in May but was not offered a contract.

“Matt was and has always been innocent,” Semerdjian added. “The case is over, and Matt has prevailed. He now has the full intention of returning to the NFL in hopes of resuming a successful punting career.”

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

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