Ex-Bills punter Matt Araiza plans to sue rape victim's lawyer

Former Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza’s NFL career was nearly over before it started after he was alleged to have taken part in gang rape last August.

In a recent interview with Andrea Kremer for HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel,” Araiza maintains that he will not settle the pending civil lawsuit filed by the victim of the alleged October 2021 gang rape. In fact, the 23-year-old NFL hopeful plans to sue the victim’s attorney Dan Gilleon for defamation.

“I’ve already hired an attorney for it, and things have already been drafted,” Araiza told Kremer. “I will never waive my right to sue him. That’s coming.”

Gilleon also spoke to “Real Sports” about the incident, saying: 

“We are not saying that he was, and we are not saying that he wasn’t. Let’s say he was not one of the men in there. That doesn’t absolve him of liability. … Our allegation is he contributed heavily to the harm that she suffered that night. He had sex with my client. Following that, she ended up having sex with multiple guys and came out of there bloodied, in shock. Ended up at the hospital, ended up with the police, and ended up traumatized.”

The district attorney’s office spoke to several witnesses at the October house party near San Diego State University who confirmed Araiza left the party approximately an hour before the alleged attack. They also combed through video evidence of the woman having sexual encounters with men who were not Araiza in nine separate videos.

Araiza was exonerated by prosecutors of any involvement in the alleged rape in December. Last month, his agent Joe Linta sent an audio file to approximately 20 teams of San Diego deputy district attorney Trisha Amador explaining to the victim that there was no evidence suggesting Araiza was involved with the attack.

"[I had] no chance to defend myself,” Araiza said. “No waiting for police to back any of these statements, not waiting for the trial for anything to be proven in court. There was a feeling that society was sure about this. They were 100 percent sure.”

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

Araiza worked out for the New York Jets in May, and although he was not offered a contract, Kremer confirmed during the "Real Sports" episode that the Jets are open to giving him a second chance.

“They said they vetted him extensively,” Kremer said she was told by Jets GM Joe Douglas. “They got approval from their owner…they will bring him in if they need to. They feel he deserves the opportunity.”