New York Facing a huge public backlash and internal questions about the decision to give Matt Araiza the punting job, the Buffalo Bills reversed course by eliminating the rookie on Saturday, two days after a lawsuit was filed alleging that the player and two college teammates were from gangs. I raped a teenage girl last fall.
And you know, we sympathize with this whole situation, all parties involved, this young woman, for what she went through," general manager Brandon Beane said.
And had they known, Beane said, they would have removed it from consideration.
The Bills then opted to keep Araiza even though they had been aware of the accusations against him since the end of July.
The team then supported the player by announcing that he "conducted a thorough examination" of the matter a day after the lawsuit was filed.
However, he noted that many of the allegations were unavailable because the San Diego police investigation results were not released. He said the team decided not to "rush to judgment" based on its information, noting that Araiza never changed his version of what happened.
McDermott then chimed in, saying the team considered the victim's version of events contained in the lawsuit. We take them very seriously.
Araiza's release begins to ease a crisis that has rocked the team, as reflected by McDermott having difficulty containing his emotions as he discussed the situation following a 21-0 preseason loss at Carolina on Friday.
The player watched the game from an undisclosed location and released a statement through his agent, Joe Linta, which read: "The facts of the incident are not what is described in the lawsuit.
DA spokeswoman Tanya Sierra said on Friday there was no timetable for how long she would decide.
"Punt God" due to a booming left leg, Araiza was the third-place kicker draft selection.
The Associated Press that they learned of Araiza's involvement in an incident during the writing process, but neither knew the extent of the allegations
All of the people spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity because of the matter's sensitivity.
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