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Punter Matt Araiza is fighting to get his life back by suing the alleged gang rape victim’s lawyer, who filed a civil lawsuit against him.
Reddit user Sensedog shared Sports Illustrated’s Nick Selbe’s article regarding Araiza’s plan of action. It led to these reactions from the NFL Reddit community.
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Araiza revealed in a recent interview on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel that he intends to sue lawyer Dan Gilleon for defamation. It’s a response to a civil lawsuit filed by Gilleon that alleged Araiza took part in raping a 17-year-old girl last year.
The Buffalo Bills released him after being named a defendant in the case. The AFC East squad took him in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
However, upon further investigation, the San Diego District Attorney’s office declined to press charges against Matt Araiza, concluding that he wasn’t in the room when the alleged incident occurred.
Araiza told HBO’s Andrea Kremer that he wouldn’t decline his right to return the favor to Gilleon via a counter-lawsuit. The former San Diego State standout doesn’t want to settle the civil lawsuit against him either.
In a separate interview with HBO, Gilleon floated the theory that Araiza’s location does not absolve him of liability. Though not included in the civil lawsuit, he claimed that Araiza got the victim drunk before having intercourse with her.
Araiza and two other SDSU players were accused of gang-raping a girl who, in 2021, was still under California’s age of consent. But the 2021 Unanimous All-American denied the allegations, while his lawyer declared this a cash grab from the plaintiff.
Meanwhile, the District Attorney’s Office concluded that Araiza couldn’t be involved because he left the off-campus party before the alleged gang raping happened. They based their findings on a witness’ testimony and other supporting information.
Gilleon expressed his dissent on the DA’s decision via this tweet.
Will Matt Araiza still play in the NFL?
Beyond this ordeal that tainted his name, he has the skill level to make a National Football League final roster. “Punt God” won the 2021 Ray Guy Award after breaking Braden Mann’s record for average yards per punt for a season.
Therefore, teams will be intrigued by what Araiza can do to pin opponents deep in their territory. The New York Jets invited him for a tryout, but he is still unsigned.
If he ends up signing with the Jets, Matt Araiza can torment the team that drafted him at least twice yearly.
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