Matt Araiza: Buffalo Bills player and 2 former college teammates accused of rape in lawsuit



Araiza, Zavier Leonard and Nowlin “Pa’a” Ewaliko were part of the San Diego State University football team at the time of the alleged incident last October.

Araiza said in a statement issued by his lawyer: “The facts of the incident are not as presented in the lawsuit or as presented in the press. I look forward to clarifying things quickly.”

Earlier, his attorney, Kerry Armstrong, told CNN his client did not rape the accuser.

“He never used violence against her. She wasn’t visibly drunk. He didn’t give her a drink with anything in it,” Armstrong added.

Araiza “hopes it doesn’t affect his career with the Buffalo Bills. He really likes the team and hopes he can stay with them,” Armstrong said.

Jane Doe says she attended a party with friends in the San Diego area but got separated from them when she met Araiza, the lawsuit says. The allegation goes on to claim that Araiza “was able to observe that Doe was heavily intoxicated” and “handed her a drink anyway.”

“Doe informed Araiza that she attended Grossmont High School. Araiza, who was 21, knew or should have known that Doe was a minor,” the complaint said.

The woman says Araiza led her into a bedroom where “at least three other men were already in the bedroom,” including Leonard and Ewaliko, both of whom were at least 18 at the time, according to the court document. Shortly after Doe entered the bedroom, the men allegedly began engaging in sexual activity with her, the lawsuit says.

“Doe was raped for about an hour and a half before the party shut down. Doe stumbled out of the room, bloodied and crying,” the complaint said.

Doe reported the alleged incident to the San Diego Police Department the next day and underwent a rape evaluation at a local hospital, according to the lawsuit. Days later, detectives arranged “pretense” calls between Doe and the men they had identified as her alleged attackers, the allegation said.

“During the call, Araiza confirmed that she had sex with Doe and even told her to get tested for STDs,” the claim said, but when she pressed him about their encounter, “Araiza immediately changed.” his tone and said, ‘This is Matt Araiza . I can’t remember anything that happened that night. At that point, he ended the pretense call by hanging up on Doe,” the complaint reads.

Ewaliko’s lawyer, Marc Carlos, told CNN in a phone interview that he sees some issues with Doe’s credibility and the circumstances under which she reported the incident. “Filing the civil suit is clearly an attempt to pressure prosecutors to file a case,” he said.

According to Carlos, Ewaliko is not enrolled at San Diego State this semester.

Leonard’s attorney, Jamahl Kersey, said, “We are aware of the lawsuit filed yesterday and respectfully decline to comment.” He said he could not comment on his client’s status as a student or player in San Diego State.

The police department has submitted its investigation to the San Diego County Attorney’s Office and is under review, prosecutors said, although officials did not say when a charging decision might be made.

CNN has also reached out to police for comment.

The university released a statement saying it “takes allegations of sexual assault seriously.” however, was unable to release specific details on the case due to privacy concerns, saying the allegations were still under “active university investigations.” The statement went on to say that violating the university’s student code of conduct could potentially result in “suspension, dismissal or expulsion.”

“We were recently made aware of a civil lawsuit filed against Matt in October 2021,” a Buffalo Bills spokesman said. “Due to the seriousness of the complaint, we have thoroughly investigated this matter. As this is an ongoing civil proceeding, we will not comment further at this point.”

Araiza did not play in Buffalo’s 21-0 loss in a preseason game to the Carolina Panthers on Friday. “At the end of the day I felt like it wasn’t right,” said coach Sean McDermott.

Asked about the allegations after the game, McDermott described the situation as “extremely serious”. “We want to find the truth and find this out the right way and do the right thing.”

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement that league officials were aware of the matter but had no further comment.

An NFL player cannot be suspended for conduct before joining the league. However, if an individual is being investigated for acts committed while playing an NFL player, prior conduct may be considered in a possible disciplinary action under the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy.

CNN’s Jill Martin and Taylor Romine contributed to this report.