The civil lawsuit that resulted in Bills punter Matt Araiza’s hasty exit from the league is now gone.
Via Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports, the civil suit accusing Araiza of rape will be dismissed. In exchange, Araiza will dismiss his defamation claim against his accuser.
Araiza reserves the right to sue the accuser’s lawyer for defamation. Previously, Araiza vowed to do so.
The dismissal of the lawsuit closes the door on any potential NFL discipline of Araiza. Whether it opens the door to his return to the NFL remains to be seen.
It should. In the eyes of the law, he has done nothing wrong. No employer in America should refuse someone employment under such circumstances.
“The win is bittersweet,” Araiza’s attorney said in a statement to Wetzel. “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.”
But he can get a fresh start, after being selected in round six of the 2022 draft and then, by Week 1, gone and forgotten. Hopefully, some team out there will give it to him. Beyond being the right thing to do, it’s also strategically beneficial to the team. The kid has a powerful leg, strong enough to stand out at a position that can greatly influence field position during an NFL game.
To date, only the Jets have given Araiza a workout in the time since he was released by the Bills, days after news of the lawsuit first emerged. It will be interesting to see whether playoff contenders bring him in for a tryout and/or whether someone gives him a spot on the roster before the end of the season.
