Why is Matt Araiza known as ‘punt god’? All about Chiefs punter’s nickname

Matt Araiza is back in the NFL. On Thursday, multiple outlets reported that the former Buffalo Bills punter had signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. He had been exiled from Orchard Park in the 2022 offseason after being implicated in a 2021 g*ng r*pe in California.

At the time of the incident, he was playing his last season for the San Diego State Aztecs. Araiza was a major contributor to the program's ensuing historic 12-2 campaign. being nicknamed "Punt God" for his strong leg and powerful kicks, setting a new NCAA record for most average yards per punt, at 51.19. He also received the following accolades:

• Ray Guy Award
• Unanimous All-American
• Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year
• First-team All-MWC

Upon being drafted 180th overall by the Bills, he admitted that he was not as fond of the nickname as previously perceived.

"To be honest, I don't necessarily love the nickname. I understand it's a huge compliment, I think it's a little bit too much."

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A brief overview of Matt Araiza's alleged involvement in 2021 California g*ng r*pe

The incident that almost derailed Matt Araiza's career was described in the lawsuit against him as follows (via Yahoo). (NSFW warning: this retelling contains graphic details.)

The then-17-year-old accuser claimed that on October 15, she arrived at a party near the SDSU campus with friends. Then drunk, she alleged that the punter gave her a drink that was purportedly spiked with drugs, and then asked her to pleasure him despite her objections.

He then did the deed with her, then took her to a room where his then-teammates Zavier Leonard and Nowlin “Pa’a” Ewaliko were. There, she said, they r*ped her for one and a half hours while she alternated between being partly conscious and blacking out. When she finally fully regained consciousness, she was crying and bleeding all over.

Araiza immediately denied the allegations, with his lawyer calling it a "money grab". Interestingly enough, the prosecutors supported this claim, with cameras showing that he was gone from the party by 12:30 am, around 30 minutes before the incident began, and decided not to press charges.

In late July 2023, Araiza formally sued his accuser for defamation. The lawsuit was dropped four and a half months later; however, he retains the right to sue her lawyer Dan Gilleon.