Matt Araiza accused of rape, served with a lawsuit.

[Billsflyer12]

1 minute ago, HamSandwhich said:

Seems like judge and Jury is already out? It’s been decided he did this? 

His guilt or innocence has not been decided within the legal system yet.  It has been decided by most, including me that he shouldn’t be Bills punter.

Edited August 26, 2022 by Billsflyer12

[stevestojan]

7 minutes ago, Buffalo03 said:

She was alert enough to tell a friend right afterwards that she was raped. So the in and out of consciousness ended as soon as the rape was over. Coincidence 

Of all the bad takes I’ve ever seen, congrats on taking the prize for worst of all time. 
 

Sometimes I’m really glad I only get to interact with some of you mouth breathers over the internet and not in person. 
 

And I broke the rule of name calling. I’ll take a time out if needed but some of you are truly disgusting humans. 

[Mango]

35 minutes ago, OrangeBills said:

 

Fine, but those aren't the facts either.  So you're also not operating on the facts.

 

Letting it all play out as it should.

What are not the facts? Was she not bruised and bleeding. Did she not go to the hospital? 
 

[ExiledInIllinois]

13 minutes ago, NY Nole said:

The text messages shared by the woman's lawyer indicate the woman's lawyer was calling both the Bills and Araiza. It is also insinuated that the woman's lawyer presented a settlement offer to Araiza directly. Araiza's lawyer told the woman's lawyer to stop calling both the Bills and Araiza. He tells the woman's lawyer that he doesn't believe Araiza is interested in "settling" any civil case that was threatened. Two days later, Araiza's lawyer texted the woman's lawyer and asked what number the woman was looking for -- as Araiza's parents wanted to know. Araiza's lawyer was making the point to the woman's lawyer that if he kept calling the Bills, pissed them off and they cut Araiza -- there would be no money to get. It sounds to me like Araiza's lawyer was being asked by Araiza's parents to see what kind of real money they were looking for to make this go away -- I suspect the initial ask/demand to Araiza was a big one.

 

This case hardly appears to be an open and shut case. The woman's lawyer sounds very much like a scumbag and she sounds like she was interested in getting money from Araiza.    

Sounds like the Pat Kane scandal! 

[stevewin]

22 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

It will make a difference.   Rest of the players will see that the team doesn't have their back. Team will fall apart quicker your way.

I'm not so sure about that - I would imagine there are a number of players who today are looking sideways at the dude like wtf - and would not care (or even welcome) if the the Bills just moved on from him.  They are focused on winning the SB (and know this player is not an irreplaceable element in that) - I'm sure some are not thrilled about the distraction

Edited August 26, 2022 by stevewin

[UKBillFan]

Just now, Mango said:

What are not the facts? Was she not bruised and bleeding. Did she not go to the hospital? 
 

Did Araiza cause it?

[SCBills]

3 minutes ago, 1ManRaid said:

 

Part of the reason I'm a little more innocent until proven guilty in this case is that I've personally had a friend nearly ruined because of a false rape claim.  I'm not saying he is innocent, but I can't stand the mob lynching at the drop of a hat on just the accusation. So it really bugs me to see people say false rape claims never happen.

 

I've personally had to intervene and shut down a false rape claim against my best friend by a female friend of mine he was dating.  Both her and my ex (her best friend) were literally set to go to the police the next day with her mom to both file false rape claims against him, after already admitting to me it was bogus and they were just doing this because they were angry at him and wanted a way to break up with him and not look bad.  I knew they both only dated him (and another friend of mine) because it was actually me they liked and knew they could spend time with me through my friends, so I made it clear to them that ruining my best friend's life with these false claims would 100% forever make me hate them and want nothing to do with them other than vigorously pursuing charges against them for false claims.  That was enough to get them to back off and not go through with pressing charges.  The worst part is the mom knew the claims were false and was encouraging them to go through with it anyways, I think out of some general hatred for men from her divorce. 

Yea.. a lot of this is probably experience driven.   Women who have been assaulted empathize with any allegations, justifiably.  Men who have been falsely accused or witnessed it, otherwise. 
 

This happened in my high school.  After likely realizing how she’d be viewed, she told police four guys at a party raped her.  Her friends that went with her to the party all told authorities she was lying and it was consensual.   

[HamSandwhich]

1 minute ago, Billsflyer12 said:

His guilt or innocence has not been decided within the legal system yet.  It has been decided by most, including me that he shouldn’t be Bills punter.

Oh so it’s the kangaroo court of public opinion? I’m glad you’re not a decision maker then!

[Wayne Arnold]

Regardless of what really happened - and I'm not getting into the muck one way or the other - one thing is certain:

 

Beane completely f'd up by cutting Haack this week.

 

Did he really think this would not come out?

[UKBillFan]

2 minutes ago, Wayne Arnold said:

Regardless of what really happened - and I'm not getting into the muck one way or the other - one thing is certain:

 

Beane completely f'd up by cutting Haack this week.

 

Did he really think this would not come out?

He must have done, unless he thought it’d be settled out of court or dismissed like Miller. 

Edited August 26, 2022 by UKBillFan

[Process]

I'm really surprised the bills are playing him tonight. Not saying cut him immediately...let all the facts come out etc etc. But he's a punter and it's a meaningless preseason game....just sit him. 

 

Seems so unlike mcbeane.

[dje85]

Just now, Wayne Arnold said:

Regardless of what really happened - and I'm not getting into the muck one way or the other - one thing is certain:

 

Beane completely f'd up by cutting Haack this week.

 

Did he really think this would not come out?

Did he though? Haack isn't that good of a punter anyways. I feel we could get a better punter than Haack after cuts or at least similarly talented. 

As far as I am concerned it shows how much trust they had in Haack as the starter that they willingly decided to roll the dice on this than cut the potential media storm issue before it happened. 

[Warriorspikes51]

Just now, Process said:

I'm really surprised the bills are playing him tonight. Not saying cut him immediately...let all the facts come out etc etc. But he's a punter and it's a meaningless preseason game....just sit him. 

 

Seems so unlike mcbeane.

 

See Shady McCoy 

[ToGoGo]

6 minutes ago, UKBillFan said:

Though do we have explicit evidence that he knew she was a child? She says she told him he was 17; defence witnesses state she told many people present that she was 18.

 

What high school girl goes to a college party and tells the older guys that she's 17?

 

In my day, when you were in High School you lied and said you were a Freshman in college at frat parties. 

[mjt328]

7 minutes ago, Billsflyer12 said:

Even if he is 100% innocent, the distraction and media circus that this is already is reason enough for me to cut a punter. 

 

If this was Josh right now I would want him on Commissioner Except list immediately.

 

How the Bills and league handle these things doesn’t seem difficult to me, yet they both still continue to screw this up.

 

Imagine if you (or a close family member) was falsely accused of something like rape or domestic abuse.

Your reputation is gone.  Your closest friends now hate you.  And instead of waiting for all the information came out, your job immediately fires you because they don't want to "deal with the distraction" from the media.

 

The Bills front office claims to care about the personal lives of their players.  I'm glad that Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott are willing to be patient, and won't throw Araiza to the wolves, because it's uncomfortable answering these types of questions from reporters.

 

Again.  There is nothing wrong with waiting for the facts.

 

[UKBillFan]

Just now, Process said:

I'm really surprised the bills are playing him tonight. Not saying cut him immediately...let all the facts come out etc etc. But he's a punter and it's a meaningless preseason game....just sit him. 

 

Seems so unlike mcbeane.

Makes me think we’re planning to go into the season with him as punter so want to get the “first game since…” out of the way.

[BillsFanSD]

2 minutes ago, Wayne Arnold said:

Regardless of what really happened - and I'm not getting into the muck one way or the other - one thing is certain:

 

Beane completely f'd up by cutting Haack this week.

 

Did he really think this would not come out?

Another way to look at it is that the Bills did their due diligence and made a decision based on better information than what we have.  

 

I mean, maybe they screwed it up.  It's certainly been known to happen.  But there's literally no harm in reserving judgement for the time being.

[BIGFOOTspaceman]

6 minutes ago, CountDorkula said:

the ol' its partially her fault she got raped. Good job

There is something to be said for putting yourself in these situations.....not saying its her fault at all if this happened.  But people lack common sense sometimes.  Your 17, I would guess attractive and decided to go to a college party with drunked up hyper hormonal young men.  The thought never crossed her mind that she might be putting herself in a bad situation?  Again, its not her fault that she got raped, but where is the common sense.  Where is the parenting?

 

I could go running through Compton with a bag full of money if I wanted.  If I get robbed, its not my fault and the thief should go to jail....But I put my self in that situation.

[Airseven]

Bills fan legal analysis is fun. Glad Araiza is traveling and hopefully playing tonight. No silly “indefinite suspension” appeaser is warranted at this point.

[Brandon]

1 minute ago, Wayne Arnold said:

Regardless of what really happened - and I'm not getting into the muck one way or the other - one thing is certain:

 

Beane completely f'd up by cutting Haack this week.

 

Did he really think this would not come out?

 

It probably means that Beane knows a lot more about all of this than we do right now. 

[Wayne Arnold]

2 minutes ago, dje85 said:

Did he though? Haack isn't that good of a punter anyways. I feel we could get a better punter than Haack after cuts or at least similarly talented. 

As far as I am concerned it shows how much trust they had in Haack as the starter that they willingly decided to roll the dice on this than cut the potential media storm issue before it happened. 

 

It's not as if Araiza blew Haack away. It was close in camp. Haack is a seasoned vet, was immediately picked up after getting cut. I don't see how any guy off the street is as good or better than him.

[Mango]

One of the most chilling thing about this is how cold my better half is about it. In that it is so believable. I had her look at this thread a bit and she just sort of shrugged and said "that is what it is like to be a woman". Reporting gang rape and hordes of strangers saying you are liar is so common place that she just continues to poor a new cup of coffee. Her casualness just sort of rocked me.

I just find it so gross and bone chilling. The older I get the more I admire the resiliency and strength it takes to just exist as a woman. By comparison I am a total bum and all women are super hero's as far as I am concerned.  

I recommend to everybody on this board with important females in their lives to start doing a lot more listening to what it is like. 

 

Edited August 26, 2022 by Mango
grammar

[Buffalo03]

14 minutes ago, BarleyNY said:

Ridiculous take

Because you want it to be?

[Billsflyer12]

5 minutes ago, mjt328 said:

 

Imagine if you (or a close family member) was falsely accused of something like rape or domestic abuse.

Your reputation is gone.  Your closest friends now hate you.  And instead of waiting for all the information came out, your job immediately fires you because they don't want to "deal with the distraction" from the media.

 

The Bills front office claims to care about the personal lives of their players.  I'm glad that Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott are willing to be patient, and won't throw Araiza to the wolves, because it's uncomfortable answering these types of questions from reporters.

 

Again.  There is nothing wrong with waiting for the facts.

 

Ok fine, I don’t think a rookie punter is worth the Risk to the rest of the team.  But at minimum he should be sent home today, and kept away from team and team activities till the matter is settled.  Even if that means you have to eat an extra roster spot for awhile.

Edited August 26, 2022 by Billsflyer12

[Warriorspikes51]

1 minute ago, BillsFanSD said:

Another way to look at it is that the Bills did their due diligence and made a decision based on better information than what we have.  

 

I mean, maybe they screwed it up.  It's certainly been known to happen.  But there's literally no harm in reserving judgement for the time being.

 

It's amusing many of the people who chime in on a topic like this and want to see immediate punishment.....are the same people who say "Judge not" when they are questioned about anything 

[Back2Buff]

2 hours ago, Mango said:

 Oh please. Get the facts right. 
 

A young woman was beaten and bloodied by 3-5 men on the football team. The next day went to the hospital. 

In understand some people want to whitewash this because it’s the Bills.  But your boiling down of the situation is disrespectful. 

 

And you know exactly who was in that room?  Doesnt even sound like she does.

[ExiledInIllinois]

"Distraction from the media" is a very bad standard to set. If they can't handle the distraction, they won't win SB anyway.  They are giving into shame GIVEN THIS SITUATION WHERE THEY BELIEVE HIM.

[SectionC3]

12 minutes ago, StHustle said:

Even if said “child” looked like an adult and lied and said she was an adult on a college campus where plenty freshman/sophomore woman look just like her? Hang him cause he didn’t verify ID? You sir are a scumbag to judge other people based of BS like that. You must be mr perfect that got everything right or some loser who didn’t get any action around that age and totally have no idea what goes on! You know how many people in this thread were lied to by underage woman?? Totally absolve the liar and blame the person who took their word for it???

 

Tou are what’s wrong with America and I can pretty much guess what News station you watch!

It’s time for you and I to go our separate ways. 

[Buffalo03]

13 minutes ago, stevestojan said:

Of all the bad takes I’ve ever seen, congrats on taking the prize for worst of all time. 
 

Sometimes I’m really glad I only get to interact with some of you mouth breathers over the internet and not in person. 
 

And I broke the rule of name calling. I’ll take a time out if needed but some of you are truly disgusting humans. 

You don't even know me. I'm just saying for someone that says she was roofied and in and out of consciousness during the act so she is still saying right now she doesn't know everything that happened but yet remembers being alert right afterwards that she was raped. I wanna be clear here, of Araiza is guilty of this, I hope he rots in prison. I don't know if you think I'm in favor of what he is being accused of but I'm not

Edited August 26, 2022 by Buffalo03

[Warriorspikes51]

1 minute ago, Mango said:

One of the most chilling thing about this is how cold my better half is about it. In that it is so believable. I had her look at this thread a bit and she just sort of shrugged and said "that is what it is like to be a woman". Reporting gang rape and hordes of strangers saying you are liar is common place, she just continues to poor a new cup of coffee. Her casualness just sort of rocked me.

I just find it so gross and bone chilling. The older I get the more I admire the resiliency and strength it takes to just exist as a woman. By comparison I am a total bum and all women are super hero's as far as I am concerned.  

I recommend to everybody on this board with important females in their lives to start doing a lot more listening to what it is like. 

 

No one here is denying that happened....it's whether or not he had anything to do with it/was there 

[Beck Water]

1 hour ago, Eastside Oasis said:

This says differently.  3 years is the magic number, but I'm sure that will be part of the legal arguments.

 

This point was discussed quite a bit early in the thread. 

Despite what the lawyer being interviewed said, there are multiple law firms online who break  down the law differently.

 

"Mistake in age" is also a defense in California, if the alleged perpetrator has reason to believe the victim is over 18, it is "up to" the prosecutors to prove he should have known she was under the age of consent.

 

https://www.shouselaw.com/ca/blog/mistake-of-age-defense/

https://www.shouselaw.com/ca/defense/penal-code/261-5/

Quote

There are three circumstances that determine how the offense will be charged and what the potential penalties are:

If you are no more than three (3) years older than the alleged victim, violating PC 261.5 is always a misdemeanor.15

If you are more than three (3) years older than the alleged victim, the offense may be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony.16
AND

If you are twenty-one (21) or older and the alleged victim is under sixteen (16) at the time the intercourse occurs, you also face either a misdemeanor or a felony…but the potential felony penalties are steeper than in the situation described in #2, above.17

 

Edited August 26, 2022 by Beck Water

[pocoboy]

2 minutes ago, stevewin said:

I'm not so sure about that - I would imagine there are a number of players who today are looking sideways at the dude like wtf - and would not care (or even welcome) if the the Bills just moved on from him.  They are focused on winning the SB - I'm sure some are not thrilled about the distraction

 

If you ever thought the Beasley vaxx situation had an impact on the slooooooow start this team had in 2021, this has the potential to be that x100. At least with Beasley you had a guy with a valuable skill-set who contributed in past years to your success. Not only is Araiza unproven in meaningful pro games, some might even argue the punter is relatively replaceable in most circumstances.

 

Beane & McDermott should be amassing a group of the team leaders and interacting over this. In the end, if your players want no part of this circus, then get on the horn to some other punters and let this guy focus on his personal issues.

[ddaryl]

19 minutes ago, CountDorkula said:

the ol' its partially her fault she got raped. Good job

That wasn't said at all.. But Matt may have had consensual sex with the woman he beleived was 18 based off info she fed him.
The rape could of happened afterwards and Matt was not involved

If she was raped at a college party with lots of people is he resposible for her custody after a consensual relationship.

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

4 minutes ago, Airseven said:

Bills fan legal analysis is fun. Glad Araiza is traveling and hopefully playing tonight. No silly “indefinite suspension” appeaser is warranted at this point.

And they can't do anything the League,  unless he's charged. It's a civil case and it happened before the draft.  Against the CBA to punish him at this time. 

[BillsFanSD]

1 minute ago, Wayne Arnold said:

 

It's not as if Araiza blew Haack away. It was close in camp. Haack is a seasoned vet, was immediately picked up after getting cut. I don't see how any guy off the street is as good or better than him.

So what does this tell you about the information that the Bills have at their disposal?  

 

Araiza is a 6th round pick, and he plays (arguably) the least important position in the NFL.  It's not as if the Bills are highly invested in the guy or anything.  If Haack had "won" the punting job, a lot of us would have been disappointed but nobody would have seriously second-guessed that decision.  There's really very little incentive for the team to retain a guy who they have serious doubts about, so the fact that they chose to retain him sends a signal that I should pay attention to.  

 

But this is all speculative, because I imagine we'll learn more about what happened over the next few days.  

[Negan]

Let the legal process play out is what the Bills are doing imo.

 

He'll be punting tonight.

 

[SectionC3]

8 minutes ago, Process said:

I'm really surprised the bills are playing him tonight. Not saying cut him immediately...let all the facts come out etc etc. But he's a punter and it's a meaningless preseason game....just sit him. 

 

Seems so unlike mcbeane.

They don’t have a good choice.  Check out one of my recent earlier posts.  Either nuke the guy on a moment’s notice (maybe, just maybe, this is all BS, although I doubt that), or nuke someone else who deserves the chance to make tape to they can bring in another punter, or have Bass or another currently rostered player punt (stupid and absurd, respectively), or just don’t punt at all (could hurt a bunch of guys trying to make ST tape).  It’s an awful situation from a football perspective.  And a much worse one from a life perspective. 

[ExiledInIllinois]

At least they are all on same page.  Nobody is bickering like other SB caliber BFLo teams.  

[Buffalo03]

26 minutes ago, CountDorkula said:

the ol' its partially her fault she got raped. Good job

No one is saying it's her fault if she was raped 

[UKBillFan]

6 minutes ago, Billsflyer12 said:

Ok fine, I don’t think a rookie punter is worth the Risk to the rest of the team.  But at minimum he should be sent home today, and kept away from team and team activities till the matter is settled.  Even if that means you have to eat an extra roster spot for awhile.

But a MVP Quarterback would be worth the risk?