CHARLOTTE – Amid allegations of being involved in the gang rape of a minor, Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza did not play in the team’s preseason finale Friday night.
Araiza and two former teammates at San Diego State University were accused Thursday in a civil suit in California of raping a then-17-year-old girl at an off-campus party last fall.
The lawsuit, filed in San Diego County Superior Court, alleges Araiza, then 21, had sex with the minor outside of a home and then brought her inside to a room where she was repeatedly raped in the early hours of Oct. 17.
During the game, Araiza released a statement that disputed the allegations made in the lawsuit and in media reports.
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“The facts of the incident are not what they are portrayed in the lawsuit or in the press,” Araiza said in the statement provided by his agent. “I look forward to quickly setting the record straight.”
Araiza was not seen on the sideline before or during the game, but did arrive at Bank of America Stadium with his teammates. He was on the final of five buses of players and coaches and team personnel. Araiza was not wearing any Bills gear, instead in a black shirt and gray shorts with a backpack, and headed toward the locker room.
When reporters were allowed in the locker room after the game, the locker between the lockers of long snapper Reid Ferguson and kicker Tyler Bass did not have a nameplate.
After the game, Bills coach Sean McDermott opened his news conference by addressing the incident.
The woman who accused Bills punter Matt Araiza of raping her when she was 17 wrote recollections in a journal entry immediately after telling San Diego police that she was gang-raped.
"It is a situation that is extremely serious. Just hard to go through and it’s not a situation that we or I take lightly whatsoever," he said. "It's very serious and I understand the sensitivity of the situation, it's clear ... we have work to do to continue to figure this thing out here, and we're going to do that."
When asked by reporters, McDermott repeatedly said he was "not going to get into details right now."
"I can tell you this: My hearts and thoughts and prayers go out to the people involved," McDermott said. "That includes Matt, both sides here, the victim and everyone there."
Asked if he had learned anything in the aftermath of the lawsuit being filed that he hadn't previously known, McDermott said, "I would say there's been some. There's been some and I'm not going to deny that. And that's why I have more work to do on this."
As to how it was determined that Araiza would not play, McDermott said: "It's my decision. At the end of the day, I felt it was right to do that."
The coach speaks to reporters after Friday's game.
The Bills’ 10-game preseason winning streak came to an end, as Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield led a pair of touchdown drives in the first half playing behind Carolina’s projected starting offensive line on the way to a 21-0 win.
McDermott would not address if Araiza will still be on the team Tuesday, when the roster is cut to 53.
"I’m not going to go into that," McDermott said. "Again, respectfully. I’m not going to go into that right now. It’s clear, like I said, it’s clear we have work to do here and figuring this thing out."
Without Araiza, the Bills faced fourth down nine times Friday. They elected to punt four times. The Bills released punter Matt Haack on Tuesday.
The emergency options became apparent during warmups. Backup quarterback Matt Barkley began punting with about an hour until the scheduled kickoff. The game was delayed by lightning.
Barkley began his punting reps by dropping the ball to himself, with those attempts going 37 yards first, followed by 43 yards. Barkley then took snaps from Ferguson to punt. The next three traveled 46, 44 and 45 yards, respectively, in the air. Barkley said he did not volunteer to punt; the team came to him and asked.
"It is not something I’ve ever practiced, and I knew right before the game," Barkley said.
As far as holding, Ferguson first warmed up by snapping the ball to a team staffer. Safety Micah Hyde then held, before quarterback Case Keenum held for reps with Bass. Keenum seemed most likely to hold if needed, but the Bills did not attempt a field goal in the game.
Toward the end of training camp, the Bills tested out emergency kickers. Tight end Dawson Knox, safety Micah Hyde and Barkley all kicked, with Keenum holding.
The first fourth down came early in the game, bringing Barkley on to punt. Barkley’s punt traveled 33 yards. Panthers wide receiver Shi Smith ran it back five yards, with Bills safety Damar Hamlin making the tackle.
Later in the first quarter, the Bills were set to go for it on fourth-and-2. A false start penalty on Tanner Owen moved them back five yards, and Barkley came on to punt once again. The punt traveled 53 yards in all, with favorable rolls pinning the Panthers at their own 8-yard line.
Why Bills punter Matt Araiza not subject to potential discipline under NFL's personal conduct policy
Araiza cannot be disciplined by the NFL because the reported incident predates his time in the NFL.
In the second quarter, the Bills faced fourth down three times on one drive. First, the Bills went for it on fourth-and-2. Keenum found wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins for a three-yard gain. Just a few plays later on fourth-and-1, Keenum connected with Hodgins again, a two-yard pickup moving them to the 34.
On fourth-and-1 on the Carolina 8, the Bills failed to convert. Running back Duke Johnson was tackled for a loss of two.
Barkley took over at quarterback in the second half, but his punting duties continued. It led to a particularly quick turnaround in the third quarter, when his pass was incomplete on third-and-13, and then punted the next play. He swapped helmets at midfield between the two plays, likely to avoid having in-helmet communications.
As the third quarter neared a close, the Bills later failed to convert on third-and-3, as Barkley recovered a fumble by Jacob Capra. Barkley punted on the first play of the fourth quarter, his punt going 35 yards before rolling out of bounds.
The Bills faced fourth-and-4 on the Carolina 5 late in the fourth quarter, electing to go for it instead of attempting a field goal. Barkley was sacked for a loss of 17. Barkley finished the game averaging 40 yards on four punts.
News Sports Writer Jay Skurski contributed to this report.
