New York Jets working out free agent Matt Araiza after SDSU wraps investigation
The New York Jets are working out free agent punter Matt Araiza on Wednesday, his agent confirmed with NFL insider Adam Schefter. Araiza has been a free agent since the Buffalo Bills waived him in August of 2022. He was the Bills’ sixth-round draft pick at No. 180 overall in 2022. He won the starting job in Buffalo but hasn’t kicked in a game since college.
At San Diego State, Araiza averaged 51.2 yards per punt in 2021, including a career-long 86-yard punt. He also hit on 64.3% of his field goal attempts and he missed just one extra-point attempt over three seasons for the Aztecs.
Araiza was recently a subject of the investigation into a then-17-year-old girl’s claim of a 2021 gang rape at an off-campus party at San Diego State University. Prosecutors in San Diego and now the University have since cleared Araiza after conducting their investigations.
The investigation by San Diego State University into Araiza reportedly resulted in “no findings” against the former Aztecs kicker.
“There are no findings against Matt Araiza,” SDSU said in a statement to Yahoo Sports last Thursday.
The school also shared that Araiza is no longer the “subject of an active investigation.”
Back in December, prosecutors in San Diego announced they were no longer pursuing charges against him.
Witness testimony reportedly corroborated that Araiza left the off-campus party an hour before the 17-year-old woman told police the rape occurred. The young woman initially identified Araiza as part of the gang rape. She said he was the man who led her into the bedroom for his teammates to have sex with her.
SDSU investigation ‘meaningless,’ per victim’s attorney
Araiza has maintained his innocence since the allegations surfaced. However, he did admit to a sexual encounter with the woman earlier in the night and claimed she told him she was 18.
Despite the ‘no findings’ report from SDSU’s investigation, the woman’s attorney, Dan Gilleon, believes the new information about Araiza reportedly not being at the party when the rape occurred stems from a single witness. The civil suit against the former Bills punter is ongoing. Gilleon called the SDSU investigation’s findings “meaningless.”
“SDSU’s investigation has this garbage-in-garbage-out dilemma: SDSU did not investigate anything for nearly a year, and when it allegedly started, SDSU never spoke to my client,” Gilleon said.
SDSU has previously stated that law enforcement asked them to wait until after the police investigation to begin its inquiry.
“I will prove Matt Araiza did not act as a person with reasonable prudence should have,” Gilleon said.
Ariaza and the representatives for the young woman have reportedly discussed a potential settlement. However, the kicker will not agree to a settlement that requires him to admit wrong-doing.