Matt Araiza accused of rape, served with a lawsuit.

[The Red King]

If I claim, right now, that you punch kittens, does that make you a horrible kitten puncher that should immediately be ostracized?  And if someone comes to your defense, does that make them a monster that doesn't care about kittens?  Of course not.  A lot of people are just saying they want to see the evidence before jumping to conclusions.  That is not the same as hating women.  If the evidence comes out and people are still defending him after it's clear he did all the horrible things he's accused of then yeah, you can lay into those people.

[Wayne Arnold]

48 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Because in this country we start with innocence. 

 

Your question needs to be flipped. They have to be 100% sure of his guilt.  Reasonable doubt in a criminal complaint is 100% innocent.  

 

That's how. 

 

You're confusing running a sports team with the justice system.

[SectionC3]

1 hour ago, Draconator said:

I made a post earlier with a link where the then Erie County DA found a number of inconsistencies with her statements, and the accuser no longer wanting to cooperate with the DA or police, thus the case being dropped. So that would lead me to believe that Kane would be more innocent than guilty. 

Why did the accuser stop cooperating? 

[Rc2catch]

3 minutes ago, Awwufelloff said:

This is pretty cut and dry with California state law. Hes on tape admitting to having sex with a 17 year old. That's illegal and a felony if hes over 3 yrs older than she was. There are no if, ands, or buts about it. The sooner we move on from this the better.

But the information about the tapes is just her recollection of what was said?? I asked last night cause I was confused by it I thought snippets were leaked out. If the tape is so cut and dry you’d think the criminal charges would of been filed a long time ago. 

[ColoradoBills]

8 minutes ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

The fact that charges seem imminent doesn't seem to bode well for Araiza.

But if I were the Bills, I'd wait to see how much of the evidence I could review.  

 

Agree with both your points.  While I surely don't want to get involved with a lot of the "discussions" going on in this thread my main

interest is the facts (as much as we can gather) and what the Bills will do.

 

What ultimately ends up happening could take a long time and I surely don't need to be a speculator.  It's a bad deal all around.

As of now, as a Buffalo Bills fan I'm just saddened we are going through this.

[BullBuchanan]

1 minute ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

There are ifs and buts...  

 

"A statutory rape case is a California “wobbler” offense. This means that the crime can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the facts of the case."

 

www.shouselaw.com/ca/defense/laws/age-of-consent/

If it's a misdemeanor does that make it less disgusting or do you derive your morality from the ebb and flow of the law?

[prissythecat]

12 minutes ago, mannc said:

No, it's not and no you can't.  Players are union members and their employment is subject to a collective bargaining agreement.  They are not "at-will" employees.

 

This is incorrect. NFL players get released all the time for any reason.  

[NickelCity]

Is the commissioner's exempt list an option here? I've heard it mentioned but I'm not aware of the stipulations.

 

Having him suit up and play seems tone deaf. 

[Mango]

1 minute ago, 1ManRaid said:

 

Yeah I think it is highly likely she was raped.  But I also think it's entirely possible she's misremembering things and her brain is falsely tying him to the rape in a desperate bid to make sense of a traumatic and chaotic thing that happened to her.  She so clearly remembers having sex with him, but then details only get fuzzy after so she wasn't roofied (if she was) until after his involvement.  Again, it's also possible he WAS involved in the rape, but from what I'm seeing there isn't any evidence of that yet.  Would be really strange for him to roofie her only AFTER having sex with her, that's like begging to be caught because her sex with you would be the one thing she's most likely to remember.

 

Weird story. But I am fairly confident I was roofied a long time ago. 

I was at a bar on Thanksgiving with a female friend, and there was a weird guy who kept trying to talk to her. I had only had 3 beers that evening. We both noted that we had actually accidently swapped beers playing darts, but liked what each other were drinking so just kept each others drinks. After about 30 minutes from that time, things become a bit hazy. Then there is a total blank spot where I don't remember getting home. I don't remember the rest of the night in the bar. Not a single conversation. Another round of darts. People I met. I don't remember waking up naked in the spare  bedroom next to her. We had been friends for decades, so we sort of had a little bit of a laugh about it. 

But I have been hospitalized for alcohol poisoning in the past. Was a college athlete and a bit of a recluse/lush in my younger years. I have never ever blacked out in my life. Ever. That is the only time. 

 

It was a bar I was a regular at, so next time I was there I told them what happened. And apparently I was the second person to come to them from that night to report something similar. 

Really scary stuff. But I am glad that we accidently swapped drinks. That situation ended about as well as it could have. 

[mannc]

Just now, Rc2catch said:

But the information about the tapes is just her recollection of what was said?? I asked last night cause I was confused by it I thought snippets were leaked out. If the tape is so cut and dry you’d think the criminal charges would of been filed a long time ago. 

Exactly.  Many here are ready to throw this guy overboard based entirely on what a plaintiff's attorney is saying happened.  Not very smart, or fair. 

[Aussie Joe]

The lawyer for the plaintiff seems like a classy guy…

 

Quote

 

 

[Beck Water]

4 hours ago, BillsFan130 said:

Were the accusations this serious though?

 

I don't recall the incidents with McCoy/Dodson so I'm not saying your wrong, just curious

 

Dodson was not only accused, but actually arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic violence after being drafted.  The Bills say they investigated thoroughly and were confident it was not domestic violence in their view.    Dodson pled guilty to one charge of disorderly conduct, completed a diversion program, and was suspended for 6 games by the NFL.

 

McCoy was accused of arranging a home invasion that left his ex-girlfriend with horrific photos of her face bloodied and bruised.  Her lawyer was very active trying the case in social media as likely to result in criminal charges as well as a civil lawsuit she filed.  The police did not forward the case for prosecution, as I recall they made statements to the effect that neither side was wholly truthful with investigators.  The civil suit was settled with a confidentiality agreement; there were aspects of it that were possibly no-brianers, like a question of McCoy disabling the security system of the home he owned and she was occupying, therefore not providing a reasonable level of security, so settling doesn't necessarily acknowledge participation in the invasion.  Google "Delicia Cordon Home Invasion" if you want more.

[Yobogoya!]

3 minutes ago, mannc said:

And again, almost 100% of the information that's publicly available at this point is coming from a plaintiff's lawyer.

 

Yeah and he's not doing her case any favors. Releasing that diary entry is like... bruh, wtf are you thinking. 

[muppy]

18 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

What's the vibe in San Diego?

to be perfectly honest 2bd has been my focus. I'll look into it though. I know some SDSU alums  I could ask. I would think people are kind of like we here. Basically shocked and none too thrilled. It's  a terrible story by any account Ive heard ya know?

 

m

Edited August 26, 2022 by muppy

[1ManRaid]

18 minutes ago, HamSandwhich said:

I’m not saying one way or the other until all facts come to light. There are instances where people will actually do that. 

 

As I've posted, I've had a friend who was nearly charged with rape based on nothing other than petty teenage girls wanting to break up with him and make him look bad, and had an uncle serve time for false rape charges (it was actually a different uncle who did it) based solely on a petty family grudge.  Both sets of accusers privately admitted the claims were false, so I personally have direct experience false rape claims absolutely do happen.  The perceived seriousness of the claims have no logical bearing on the truth of the claim.

[gobills404]

So her attorney:

1)is going on an unprofessional twitter tirade

2) has posted peoples emails, phone numbers, text conversations, and now his clients personal diary

3) posted a text conversation where he withdrew and “offer” he previously made to Araizas attorney

4) waited until right after Araiza made the team to file the case

5) follows a bunch of pornstars on twitter

 

And yet somehow people are still taking their word at face value and calling for Araizas head

[Captain Caveman]

1 minute ago, NickelCity said:

Is the commissioner's exempt list an option here? I've heard it mentioned but I'm not aware of the stipulations.

 

Having him suit up and play seems tone deaf. 

It is not, the Bills need to step up and make the decision here (which it seems like they already have)

I agree that having him play seems like a bad move.

[mrags]

7 minutes ago, Yobogoya! said:

 

I mean I get it if your opinion is that any guy who has drunk sex with a girl at a college party is a dirt bag, I won't say that's not valid. 

 

But you'd probably have to jetison 80% of the Bills roster if not the league if you think most of these guys aren't guilty of that act. 

This————^
 

probably more like 50% or more of civilization. Show of hands, tell me you haven’t had drunk sex in a one night stand setting before in your life. I’m guessing a majority have. 
 

not saying it’s right. And not saying it’s acceptable. But I’d say the majority have. 

[Mango]

10 minutes ago, UKBillFan said:

I don’t know - I think the defence is she asked to lie down so he took her to a room to do so then left. It may be more in depth in the official statements which have not been released.

 

So she wasn't well and had to go lie down? Matt Araiza had sex with a girl who was not well. 

See what I am getting at here. He can't have it both ways. He cannot be a good Samaritan taking care of her, because that means she wasn't able to give proper consent. 

[Mattymafia]

4 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

You do realize that the investigation and evidence was gathered long before most people ever heard of him right? He probably had a similar amount of notoriety as the other two players referenced.

He's was the star player of SDSU. Its hard to believe for a punter. But I watched a couple SDSU games that were purely won on him pinning back the opposing teams offense. 

[Beck Water]

2 minutes ago, NickelCity said:

Is the commissioner's exempt list an option here? I've heard it mentioned but I'm not aware of the stipulations.

 

Having him suit up and play seems tone deaf. 

 

No, the commissioner's exempt list is not an option here.  The CBA prohibits the NFL from action against players for events that occurred before they were drafted.

 

These lists are also at the discretion of the league office; the team can not place a player on them.

 

 

[PromoTheRobot]

2 minutes ago, SectionC3 said:

Why did the accuser stop cooperating? 

 

In some cases police are unsupportive, even indifferent or hostile, to women reporting sexual violence. I don't know what the case is here but her not cooperating is not automatically a red flag.

[CaliBills]

4 minutes ago, muppy said:

to be perfectly honest 2bd has been my focus. I'll look into it though. I know some SDSU alums  I could ask. I would think people are kind of like we here. Basically shocked and none too thrilled. It's  a terrible story by any account Ive heard ya know?

 

m

I work with a few SDSU Alum's as well (Live in SD myself) and actually did discuss it.

 

They think it is horrible but due process still has to occur.  

 

They both believe it looks really bad for SDSU.  

 

Oh and neither are Bills fans by any means. Charger fans to be exact.

Edited August 26, 2022 by CaliBills

[RiotAct]

2 minutes ago, Aussie Joe said:

The lawyer for the plaintiff seems like a classy guy…

 

 

the term “oversharer” comes to mind immediately

[BillsFanSD]

1 minute ago, Awwufelloff said:

This is pretty cut and dry with California state law. Hes on tape admitting to having sex with a 17 year old. That's illegal and a felony if hes over 3 yrs older than she was. There are no if, ands, or buts about it. The sooner we move on from this the better.

Yeah, but honestly, do you really care if a 21 year old has sex with a 17 year old?  I don't.  That's just another Saturday night in literally every town in the United States with any population to speak of.  

 

For full disclosure, I have two kids who are now 24 (son) and 21 (daughter).  One was definitely sexually active in high school and I just assume the other one was.  Not happy about that, but I was sexually active in high school, and so were most people posting in this thread.  It's normal.  

[Captain Caveman]

12 minutes ago, UKBillFan said:

I don’t know - I think the defence is she asked to lie down so he took her to a room to do so then left. It may be more in depth in the official statements which have not been released.

If that is the defense, are we really to believe that he didn't know / realize she was drunk?

[Mattymafia]

5 minutes ago, SectionC3 said:

Why did the accuser stop cooperating? 

Didnt she also tamper with evidence?

[mannc]

3 minutes ago, prissythecat said:

 

This is incorrect. NFL players get released all the time for any reason.  

True that they get released all the time, but they are nonetheless protected by a collective bargaining agreement.  They are not employees at will.  

[Mattymafia]

4 minutes ago, NickelCity said:

Is the commissioner's exempt list an option here? I've heard it mentioned but I'm not aware of the stipulations.

 

Having him suit up and play seems tone deaf. 

He should 100% go on the exempt list. Watson was on it, and his case wasnt a criminal one. 

[babulator]

He has already stained this team and season enough and he needs to go. Just being present or bearing witness to acts of moral depravity such as this without intervening is enough. 

 

Honestly I'm more disappointed in OBD for allowing this to happen at such a momentous stage of our franchise. They knew, and someone still signed off on this anyhow.  I would have liked to be a fly on the wall for that conversation. Alternatively, they did not know which is just unfathomable given the public nature of the reports dating back pre-draft.

 

Either way -1 OBD

[BullBuchanan]

7 minutes ago, mrags said:

This————^
 

probably more like 50% or more of civilization. Show of hands, tell me you haven’t had drunk sex in a one night stand setting before in your life. I’m guessing a majority have. 
 

not saying it’s right. And not saying it’s acceptable. But I’d say the majority have. 

Do you want to take a poll on how many people had drunk sex with a minor when they were an adult?

We seem to be conveniently dropping that point off of these excuses at a startling regularity.

I'll start : Not me.

Edited August 26, 2022 by BullBuchanan

[DabillsDaBillsDaBills]

3 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

If it's a misdemeanor does that make it less disgusting or do you derive your morality from the ebb and flow of the law?

 

As far as the "statutory rape" part of it goes, personally I don't care if a 21 year old guy has sex with a 17 year old girl that said she was 18+. 

 

Now if she was too drunk to consent, and/or if he was involved with the gang rape part of it that's an entirely different topic. 

[SoCal Deek]

3 minutes ago, mrags said:

This————^
 

probably more like 50% or more of civilization. Show of hands, tell me you haven’t had drunk sex in a one night stand setting before in your life. I’m guessing a majority have. 
 

not saying it’s right. And not saying it’s acceptable. But I’d say the majority have. 

Does a sober one night stand count? 

[SectionC3]

Just now, PromoTheRobot said:

 

In some cases police are unsupportive, even indifferent or hostile, to women reporting sexual violence. I don't know what the case is here but her not cooperating is not automatically a red flag.

Nobody said that it was automatically anything.  I’m just curious why that person things that accuser stopped cooperating. There are other reasons, in addition to those you mentioned, as to why accusers sometimes stop cooperating.  The reasons I’m thinking of are not that the case is BS, for what it’s worth. 

[Beck Water]

16 hours ago, Mattymafia said:

Thats what they did with Dodson, and his accusation turned out to be false.

 

Incorrect on both points.  Dodson was not placed on the exempt list, he was suspended 6 games without pay by the league.

Dodson's accusation did not "turn out to be false", it was dropped in a plea bargain where he pled guilty to "disorderly conduct" - not nearly the same thing.

[K-9]

33 minutes ago, djp14150 said:

It smells of

 

(1) no case for criminal charges on rape/ sex assault 

(2) even sued in civil court and found guilty he can file bankruptcy and it doesn't get paid. He said/ sghe said cases are weak.  As a juror I would never convict of all the evidence was she said so given she was drunk and facial recognition is very weak.

 

that leaves only the PR route to get a settlement. They release a recording obtained illegally to try and get a pay out.

 

This is an interesting thought as California law requires the consent of both parties when it comes to recording phone conversations. Unless California law excludes recordings made by law enforcement agencies and if Araiza did not consent, then it was illegally obtained. 

[BarleyNY]

2 minutes ago, mannc said:

True that they get released all the time, but they are nonetheless protected by a collective bargaining agreement.  They are not employees at will.  

That’s correct, but there’s nothing in the CBA that would prevent the Bills from releasing him. They don’t even owe him a reason. 
 

[Mattymafia]

5 minutes ago, gobills404 said:

So her attorney:

1)is going on an unprofessional twitter tirade

2) has posted peoples emails, phone numbers, text conversations, and now his clients personal diary

3) posted a text conversation where he withdrew and “offer” he previously made to Araizas attorney

4) waited until right after Araiza made the team to file the case

5) follows a bunch of pornstars on twitter

 

And yet somehow people are still taking their word at face value and calling for Araizas head

His "love the new picture" tweet to a girl with big fake boobs is so absurd

[mannc]

2 minutes ago, Mattymafia said:

He should 100% go on the exempt list. Watson was on it, and his case wasnt a criminal one. 

Watson's case was investigated for many months by the league and the authorities and involved at least 24 different accusers.  And Watson never went on the exempt list. 

[SectionC3]

I just read the diary entries and saw the photos.  Woof.  New thought: the alleged vic and the parents are at the end of their ropes with all of this, they don’t like the way the SD has acted, and they’re looking to both burn down Araiza and cajole the cops into prosecuting the case.  That is, this may be a leverage play on the SD cops as well.