"People haven taken his information as factual, when it is not" - Matt Araiza's parents comes to disgraced punter's support after receiving death threats for alleged involvement in gang rape of minor

The Bills were forced to release Matt Araiza for a reason no NFL fan wants to read about.

Araiza, who was selected in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, was one of three people (along with teammates Zaver Leonard and Nowlin “Pa’a” Ewaliko) accused of gang-raping a 17-year-old girl last year at San Diego State University.

In a bold move, Matt Araiza's parents claimed themselves and their son as the victims in this case.

In a shocking press release, Matt Araiza's parents denied any wrongdoing and shifted the blame to the national media for condemning the punter for what they deemed were false allegations:

"He has been tried and convicted in the media based on information released solely from the alleged victim and her attorney, much of it through social media. People have taken his information as factual, when it is not..."

"We do not wish this experience on anyone, but question why our son is the only one receiving this kind of treatment by social media and national news media. The vitriol has been on him alone."

"He has been extorted, discriminated against, harassed and the subject of multiple and continuous threats of violence and death. He has been released from his job and our entire family continues to receive horrific threats of violence and death. We have all been canceled. Every member of our family"

The victim in the Matt Araiza case speaks out

The unnamed victim said she was left bleeding after the alleged assault took place at an off-campus party in October. Photos of her bruised legs and neck have been published by CBS News.

Statements released by the victim paint a bleak picture of Araiza's chances of ever overcoming this PR nightmare and living out his NFL dreams:

“I reported it the day after it happened. I was 17 years old and I had no idea who Matt Araiza was. I was crying, and my friend asked me what happened."

"And I told her, ‘I had just been raped. All I keep replaying in my mind is being face down in a random bed just waiting for it to be over. I was having to deal with this horrible traumatic experience that I never asked for."

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the public eye.