Matt Araiza age was not much when he was stuck into a career-ending case in October 2021.
He was born on May 16, 2000, in San Diego, California. Araiza is an American football punter who is currently without a team.
Araiza attended Rancho Bernardo High School, where he participated in football, soccer, and track and field as a hurdler.
His impressive performance included 37 field goals, earning him two All-America selections as a placekicker.
Despite receiving offers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Montana, Araiza decided to commit to San Diego State University (SDSU) for college football.
Matt Araiza, aged 21, was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. But the team released him before the season due to allegations of gang rape against him.
What kind of evidence clear name from gang r*pe case
Former NFL Matt Araiza punter has taken steps to prove his innocence and secure employment by providing NFL teams with a piece of evidence that unveils alarming details regarding the night he faced accusations of r*ping a 17-year-old girl in San Diego.
That piece of evidence was an audio recording of a meeting on December 7, when a prosecutor from San Diego County met with the 17-year-old girl and her attorney.
The recording is 101 minutes long and was not released to the public.
The evidence revealed the prosecutor’s comprehensive explanation, outlining why her office did not press charges against Araiza and others accused of a vicious gang r*pe at a house party near San Diego State in October 2021.
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In an effort to revive Araiza’s professional career following his release from the Buffalo Bills due to the controversy, his agent, Joe Linta, shared the recording with approximately 20 NFL teams, aiming to provide Araiza with a fresh start.
At the very least, it indicates a different scenario of what happened compared to the shocking allegations that breakout against Arazia and two other NFL players of San Diego State last year in a pending civil lawsuit filed by the 17-year-old girl.
At the very least, the recording presents a contrasting narrative to the disturbing allegations made against Araiza and two other former San Diego State football players in a pending civil lawsuit filed by the woman’s attorney last year.
The recording makes mention of nine short video clips capturing the woman’s s*xual encounters during the night, none of which implicate Araiza. Denying any wrongdoing, Araiza views the recording as significant.
His attorney revealed that Araiza turned down a settlement offer of $50,000 proposed by the woman’s attorney.
However, Matt Araiza parents, Kerry Araiza and Ricky Araiza, came to the ground to defend their son.
In August 2022, they released a statement in which they said, “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.”
What happened to Matt Araiza on October 2021?
The case revolves around allegations of s*xual assault. Last year in August, when Matt Araiza age was 20, and was a rookie punter for the Buffalo Bills, he was named in a civil lawsuit along with two other San Diego State football players.
The lawsuit accused them of participating in the gang r*pe of an intoxicated 17-year-old girl. The San Diego Police had been investigating the case for nearly ten months before forwarding it to the district attorney without a recommendation for prosecution.
Despite being aware of the incident, the Bills decided to keep Araiza on the team after conducting their own investigation. However, the explicit allegations in the civil lawsuit garnered significant public attention.
Proceedings described an incident that took place at a house party near the SDSU campus, stating that Araiza led the girl into a bedroom where several other men were waiting.
It detailed a horrifying gang r*pe that lasted for an hour and a half, resulting in the girl leaving the room in distress with multiple injuries.
Shortly after the allegations surfaced, the Bills released Araiza, citing the need for everyone to move on from the situation.
Although prosecutors conducted a 124-day investigation, they announced on December 7, 2022, that they would not press criminal charges in the case.
Limited details were provided in the initial statement. Still, a transcript of a meeting between a deputy district attorney, the girl, and her attorneys shed more light on the investigation’s findings.
One crucial finding was that Araiza couldn’t have led the girl into the alleged gang rape because he had left the party an hour before the incident was believed to have occurred.
The existence of video recordings from the bedroom made it difficult to determine if a gang r*pe had taken place or if the encounters were consensual.
Despite the active civil lawsuit, Araiza hopes that NFL teams will reconsider him as evidence supporting his innocence has emerged.
He had agreed upon any sexual contact and denied knowledge of the girl’s age or level of intoxication. (converted to active voice)
The evidence includes short videos showing encounters between the girl and other men after Araiza left the party. These videos and witness testimonies played a significant role in the prosecutor’s decision not to pursue charges.
The civil lawsuit is ongoing and requires a lower burden of proof compared to criminal charges.
When was Matt Araiza honored by All-Mountain West?
At SDSU, Araiza utilized his redshirt year as a true freshman. He served as the backup to John Baron II, an All-Mountain West Conference kicker.
As a redshirt freshman, Araiza took on the role of the team’s placekicker, achieving an impressive school record of 22 successful field goals out of 26 attempts.
This performance led to him receiving an honorable mention All-Mountain West recognition.
In the shortened 2020 season due to COVID-19, Araiza continued to excel, making 10 out of 14 field goal attempts and securing his second consecutive honorable mention All-Mountain West honor.
Additionally, he showcased his versatility by assuming punting duties in the team’s opening game against UNLV, averaging 49.8 yards on five punts.
He was named as a first-string punter in 2021, in addition to his duties of kicking going into his redshirt junior season. He was also named as a mid-season All-American by ESPN at the position.
Matt Araiza age was 17 when he ended the season with an average of 51.19 yards per punt, surpassing the NCAA record put by Braden Mann of Texas A&M in 2018. He punted 50.98 and earned himself the nickname “Punt God” from NFL fans.
However, the former NFL star stated that he does not “necessarily love the nickname” because he acknowledged it as massive praise.
He won the Ray Guy Award as the top punter in the nation. He became the second player in Aztec history to be called a unanimous All-American.
After the end of the season, he shared that he would be refraining from his final season of acceptability to step in the NFL Draft of 2022.
What is Matt Araiza net worth?
This rising star still has a wide range of career ground to cover, as Matt Araiza age is just 22 years. Still, he has accumulated a net worth of around $2M to $3M too early.
He built his net worth primarily through a 4-year contract signing with the Buffalo Bills, which included a signing bonus of $216,148 and a yearly salary of $969,037.
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