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A civil suit alleging former NFL punter Matt Araiza of sexual assault has been dropped, per Dan Wetzel. Araiza is making no payments to the woman who accused him and he is dropping his defamation case against her as well.
“The win is bittersweet,” Araiza’s lawyer Dick Semerdjian said. “Matt has been forced to defend himself for the last sixteen months against false accusations and a campaign to ruin his career in the NFL. He will never get this time in his life back.”
Araiza was accused of being involved in a gang rape at a house near San Diego State University in 2021 while he attended the school. Charges against Araiza were dropped last December and more evidence showed that he was no longer at the house when the incident occurred, as Yahoo Sports reported in May.
After being exonerated, Araiza said he planned on filing a defamation suit against both his accuser and her lawyer. It is unknown whether he will proceed with the suit against the lawyer after dropping the one against his accuser.
NFL career in Matt Araiza's future?
Matt Araiza was the top punter in the country during his final season at San Diego State in 2021, winning the Ray Guy Award given to the best punter in college football. He broke the NCAA record for yards per punt that season, averaging 51.19 yards per kick.
He was picked by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, one of four punters selected that year. The Bills named him their starting punter during the preseason but he was cut five days later when the lawsuit became public.
It remains to be seen if Matt Araiza will ever play in the NFL, but he is certainly talented enough to be one of the 32 punters in the league. The New York Jets gave him a workout in May.
