Matt Araiza

[BigDingus]

Maybe let him punt in a SINGLE regular season game once before starting his career in the playoffs...

 

Who knows how much he's even been practicing. I'm sure he'd say he's been keeping up with it, but who knows? Maybe he has drawn some interest, but he's not on a team for a reason.

[NoSaint]

Meh. I don’t care as long as he doesn’t shank one 10 yards 

 

catch the ball and boot it deep. Can be all touchbacks for all I care this week

[Bob Jones]

6 hours ago, mannc said:

Probably true. Araiza may be a talented punter but he’s never punted in an NFL game and hasn’t punted in any game in more than two years.  This is the playoffs and weather conditions won’t be ideal.  There are experienced punters on the street who can fill in.  Hell, we signed Martin off the street and he did just fine.

Small point, but as mentioned earlier, he punted for the Bills in preseason in August of 2022, so that’s NOT two years ago. More like one year and four months.

[wppete]

Why not? Would be a good move. He has been exonerated right? Weren’t the charges proven false? 

[Starr Almighty]

Let's play a no punt game like we did with Kelly vs the 9ers

[Doc]

23 minutes ago, wppete said:

Why not? Would be a good move. He has been exonerated right? Weren’t the charges proven false? 

 

There were never any charges.  Just accusations.

[BillsFanForever19]

43 minutes ago, Bob Jones said:

Small point, but as mentioned earlier, he punted for the Bills in preseason in August of 2022, so that’s NOT two years ago. More like one year and four months.

 

Okay, fine. He had one Pre-Season game and 1 punt in that game of NFL action. He missed the entirety of the 2022 and 2023 regular season campaigns. 

 

So not technically exactly two calendar years. But two regular seasons. 

[hondo in seattle]

20 minutes ago, Doc said:

 

There were never any charges.  Just accusations.

 

Never charged.  Never arrested.  Never tried.  Never convicted.

 

 

[aristocrat]

46 minutes ago, Starr Almighty said:

Let's play a no punt game like we did with Kelly vs the 9ers

Bad against the pats a few years ago 

[BillsFanForever19]

14 minutes ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

Never charged.  Never arrested.  Never tried.  Never convicted.

 

 

 

True. But admitted to relations with an underaged girl. Yes, he didn't know. But for many around the country, even with some members of this very board, that doesn't matter. It's a matter of public record and whoever signs him will be signing the Punter who was accused of Gang R*pe and the Punter who Admitted to Sex with a Minor.

 

Cleared or not, that title will follow him for the rest of his career and most GM's don't want to deal with that for a Punter. And before you say, i'm sure he's not the only one to have made that mistake - you may be right. But the difference is his is a matter of public record. You may be willing to think it's not a big deal and just a mistake. But many will disagree with that.

Edited January 17 by BillsFanForever19

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

8 hours ago, CaptnCoke11 said:

Come on down Matt Haack

I believe he is on his way. He just takes those giant slow strides, So it is taking him a while. 

[SoCal Deek]

Anybody know if Beasley or John Brown can punt? 

[BillsFanForever19]

7 minutes ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

I believe he is on his way. He just takes those giant slow strides, So it is taking him a while. 

 

Yeah, it's pretty obvious to me that either Sam Martin is able to push through the tweak or Matt Haack is being signed to the Practice Squad. 

[Doc]

11 hours ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

True. But admitted to relations with an underaged girl. Yes, he didn't know. But for many around the country, even with some members of this very board, that doesn't matter. It's a matter of public record and whoever signs him will be signing the Punter who was accused of Gang R*pe and the Punter who Admitted to Sex with a Minor.

 

Cleared or not, that title will follow him for the rest of his career and most GM's don't want to deal with that for a Punter. And before you say, i'm sure he's not the only one to have made that mistake - you may be right. But the difference is his is a matter of public record. You may be willing to think it's not a big deal and just a mistake. But many will disagree with that.

 

Who cares?  Opinions are like...

 

There was actually no allegation of gang rape.  And despite admitting to having sex with a girl who was 17, he avoided charges because she portrayed herself as being legal.  It's a non-story now.

Edited January 17 by Doc

[BillsFanForever19]

7 minutes ago, Doc said:

 

Who cares?  Opinions are like...

 

There actually no allegation of gang rape.  And despite admitting to having sex with a girl who was 17, he avoided charges because she portrayed herself as being legal.  It's a non-story now.

 

Again, that's how you feel. That's not how everyone feels or will feel. Even around here, there's multiple posters who label him a "pervert".

 

"Who cares? Opinions are like..." is not how NFL GM's think. Distractions and Public Relations issues carry a lot of weight. And when it comes to a position like Punter, even the remote chance of a PR problem isn't worth the trouble.

[QLBillsFan]

27 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

True. But admitted to relations with an underaged girl. Yes, he didn't know. But for many around the country, even with some members of this very board, that doesn't matter. It's a matter of public record and whoever signs him will be signing the Punter who was accused of Gang R*pe and the Punter who Admitted to Sex with a Minor.

 

Cleared or not, that title will follow him for the rest of his career and most GM's don't want to deal with that for a Punter. And before you say, i'm sure he's not the only one to have made that mistake - you may be right. But the difference is his is a matter of public record. You may be willing to think it's not a big deal and just a mistake. But many will disagree with that.

The guy deserves the opportunity to make a living. He clearly has the talent. He’s only said good things about the Bills since he was released. So he may not have been completely clear with the Bills and that trust may have been broken. The only reason that the Bills would not consider him. But the rest of the NFL? 

[Doc]

2 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

Again, that's how you feel. That's not how everyone feels or will feel. Even around here, there's multiple posters who label him a "pervert".

 

"Who cares? Opinions are like..." is not how NFL GM's think. Distractions and Public Relations issues carry a lot of weight. And when it comes to a position like Punter, even the remote chance of a PR problem isn't worth the trouble.

 

The court of public opinion already had their way with him and were proven wrong.  Virtually no one (there's always a few in every crowd) is going to picket or boycott games just because Araiza is on the team.

[Don Otreply]

23 hours ago, CSBill said:

 

There we go. That would be bigger than bringing the punt God back.

Nothing is bigger than the PUNT GOD!!!!

[UKBillFan]

Bringing back Araiza now wouldn’t be fair on him. Over the close season, I’d be happy to see him back, although Martin’s been brilliant for the Bills in recent weeks. But now they’d be too much pressure and expectation on him, which could affect his standing long term.

[Bob Jones]

24 minutes ago, Doc said:

It's a non-story now.

It should have been a non-story back in the summer of 2022 when these baseless, money grabbing, FALSE accusations surfaced. I was very disappointed when the Bills immediately succumbed to the pitchfork wielding MeToo mob.

 

What they should have done is immediately put a lid on it, just like they did with the Kim Pegula situation. All they had to do was show a little loyalty and backbone, and if any media tools brought it up, say “no comment, we will not be answering any non football related questions about Matt Araiza.”  Araiza and Bills players could have been instructed to say the same thing. Any media hack who pressed on could have been banned from OBD. The Bills lame excuse of “he needs to go take care of the situation” was crapola. He NEVER needed to be in CA, since he was never charged, and never served or subpoenaed.

 

As an FYI, PLENTY of NFL players have been accused of various “immoral” actions, and most of them have not been immediately cut by their teams.

 

I think they should do the right thing and bring him back, if not this week, then before the start of training camp for sure.

[BillsFanForever19]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

 

The court of public opinion already had their way with him and were proven wrong.  Virtually no one (there's always a few in every crowd) is going to picket or boycott games just because Araiza is on the team.

 

Look, i'm not saying that he doesn't deserve a second chance. I wouldn't have a problem with him getting one here.

 

My posts were in regards to someone wondering why he hasn't gotten one yet. And the fact that he hasn't speaks to your feelings really not being the end all be all.

 

You can hypothesize that no one will pickett or boycott games. You can hypothesize it won't be an issue. But you do not know that. You don't have to deal with Public Relations teams in not only an organization of your own, but a League office and commissioner that you have to answer to.

 

It's really not as simple as you and every other Araiza fan like to make it out to be. If it were, he'd have been on a team long before the Civil Suit was officially dropped. 

Edited January 17 by BillsFanForever19

[QCity]

Who is Martin Hamstring?

[NoSaint]

1 hour ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

Again, that's how you feel. That's not how everyone feels or will feel. Even around here, there's multiple posters who label him a "pervert".

 

"Who cares? Opinions are like..." is not how NFL GM's think. Distractions and Public Relations issues carry a lot of weight. And when it comes to a position like Punter, even the remote chance of a PR problem isn't worth the trouble.

counter: this team certainly displayed a who cares attitude about the media distractions. Unless there were already personal issues with the guy, odds are they are dialed in right now that no one would even care what Tim Graham asks them about the punter 

[BillsFanForever19]

1 hour ago, Bob Jones said:

As an FYI, PLENTY of NFL players have been accused of various “immoral” actions, and most of them have not been immediately cut by their teams.

 

I think they should do the right thing and bring him back, if not this week, then before the start of training camp for sure.

 

There were a couple problems here. One, his "immoral actions" were spelled out in every gory detail with horrifying images. Covered by every major news outlet, sports and non-sports alike.

 

The bigger issue was that the incident occured before he entered the league. Wherein as others would have been afforded the opportunity to be put on an exempt list until proven innocence - having it happen before he was an NFL player didn't allow for it. We would have had to have saved an important 53 man roster spot for him and weather the PR nightmare for close to two years until he was cleared.

 

Then there's the issue of lost trust. This was hanging over his head before the Bills drafted him and he kept it secret, putting them in the firestorm. You can in hindsight put them on blast and take a moral stance, but I guarantee you - every single team in the NFL would have done the same thing. And it wouldn't shock me if there were pressure from Goodell and the league to do so.

 

Perhaps now that the civil suit has gone away and it's behind him completely, he will get another shot with us or another team. Though it wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't. One things for sure - it's not happening this week.

 

34 minutes ago, NoSaint said:

counter: this team certainly displayed a who cares attitude about the media distractions. Unless there were already personal issues with the guy, odds are they are dialed in right now that no one would even care what Tim Graham asks them about the punter 

 

Goes back to the issue of the Position and the contract.

 

If Matt Araiza were a HOF DE under a massive contract with a massive cap hit for cutting him, maybe things would have been different. 

 

But as a Rookie Punter on a Rookie contract? Not worth the hassle. And even now, why deal with any remote possibility of a distraction or headache for a position as meaningless as Punter?

 

Now that it's done, maybe in the Offseason he'll get his second chance. But 0% chance they're going to do it now in the Playoffs when the guy hasn't sniffed a Regular Season game and hasn't been in an NFL building in two seasons.

 

Either Martin is able to fight through it or Matt Haack will be Punting for us against KC.

Edited January 17 by BillsFanForever19

[WideNine]

Not just punting.

 

Martin got hurt because Bass is struggling to get his kicks over the opposing teams hands and he was chasing down that blocked kick.

 

Then Bassonatic shanks a 27 yarder into the rough... That is HS field goal range and would have given us the lead we needed to keep the game out of reach.

 

The kid has been shaky this whole season and is not looking much better down the stretch.

 

 

 

 

 

[Rigotz]

On 1/15/2024 at 7:45 PM, Niagara Dude said:

They need a punter,  you can't afford to have 30 yard punts against KC

Don’t need a punter if you score every time 

[JoeF]

2 hours ago, QCity said:

Who is Martin Hamstring?

Distant cousin to Gibran Spleen...

[Beck Water]

On 1/15/2024 at 6:52 PM, philholbroo said:

bojorquez?

 

He's under contract to the Cleveland Browns until the league New Year in March

[Beck Water]

On 1/15/2024 at 7:01 PM, Nextmanup said:

He's a free agent and available.  We can and might sign him tomorrow.

 

We  can go after any player not under K right now; we can also sign any off another team's practice squad as long as his team is out of playoffs.

 

Bojorquez is still under contract to the Browns. If a player is a pending FA in 2024 but was under contract in 2023, he is still under contract until the league New Year in March. 

 

Practice squad guys are an interesting case, because the ones the team wants are signed to "reserve Futures contracts" which actually don't become effective until the league New Year - but once the PS guys sign them, they are committed to that team and can't negotiate with other teams.

 

Pat O'Donnell was suggested.  He is currently a free agent, so if he's in shape and he's interested, that might work.  He punted for the Bears in the Windy City for 8 seasons.  Then he went to Green Bay.  He was released at the end of Training Camp, was on and off the Atlanta Falcons practice squad and roster, and was just released on Dec. 26th.  52 punts averagaing 44.5 yards last season. 

 

O'Donnell is about the best suggestion I've heard so far.

15 minutes ago, Rigotz said:

Don’t need a punter if you score every time 

 

I like this plan.  "No Punt" divisional round playoff for the Bills!

[PetermansRedemption]

43 minutes ago, WideNine said:

Not just punting.

 

Martin got hurt because Bass is struggling to get his kicks over the opposing teams hands and he was chasing down that blocked kick.

 

Then Bassonatic shanks a 27 yarder into the rough... That is HS field goal range and would have given us the lead we needed to keep the game out of reach.

 

The kid has been shaky this whole season and is not looking much better down the stretch.

 

 

 

 

 

I’d also argue a professional athlete should be able to run 20 yards without pulling a hamstring. 

[WideNine]

1 minute ago, PetermansRedemption said:

I’d also argue a professional athlete should be able to run 20 yards without pulling a hamstring. 

 

My guess is he did not show up for McD's Zoom stretching sessions.

 

 

[Freddie's Dead]

43 minutes ago, WideNine said:

 

My guess is he did not show up for McD's Zoom stretching sessions.

 

 

 

You beat me to it, was thinking the same thing.

[Dr.Sack]

Bass sucks. Bring in a big leg kicker and pair him with Araiza for the next decade. 

[That's No Moon]

3 hours ago, UKBillFan said:

Bringing back Araiza now wouldn’t be fair on him. Over the close season, I’d be happy to see him back, although Martin’s been brilliant for the Bills in recent weeks. But now they’d be too much pressure and expectation on him, which could affect his standing long term.

I agree about revisiting Araiza, but not now. Absolutely not right now. There are many veteran punters out there. So get one if need be. Brad Wing is on Pittsburgh's PS. He's very serviceable.

[Niagara Dude]

NN — Dec 13th 2023

Former NFL punter Matt Araiza will be dropped from a civil lawsuit accusing him and others of gang rape, and he is dropping his counter-lawsuit alleging defamation against his accuser as part of an agreement between the parties, attorneys for both sides told CNN Tuesday.

The lawsuit against Araiza and two other former San Diego State University football players was filed by a woman identified only as Jane Doe in August 2022. All three men have denied the allegations.

Two additional men were added to the civil case in an amended complaint as defendants. CNN has reached out to both for comment. The case, without Araiza, is set to go to trial in February.

“This was a mutual settlement agreement in which both sides released each other and neither admitted any wrongdoing. The settlement has no bearing on what happened that night in October 2021. The facts will be presented to a jury who will make decisions on who did what and who is liable,” Dan Gilleon, the attorney representing the accuser, told CNN.

NFL rookie punter Matt Araiza is let go from the Buffalo Bills after he was accused of raping a teen girl in a lawsuit

A news release from Araiza’s attorneys said “the win is bittersweet.”

“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,” it said.

Araiza has reserved the right to pursue legal action against the plaintiff’s attorney and law office, according to his attorney.

Araiza was drafted as a punter by the Buffalo Bills several months before the lawsuit was filed. He was released from the team days after the civil suit was filed.

In a news conference on Wednesday, Araiza told reporters he lost not only his career, but his name and reputation as a result of Jane Doe’s allegations.

“This will be tied to me forever,” he said.

Araiza said he is now focused on his career and is hoping to re-establish himself as a professional punter for the NFL. He said his agent has been in touch with some teams.

“I am confident I will be able regain my NFL career,” he said.

[AlCowlingsTaxiService]

7 hours ago, WideNine said:

Not just punting.

 

Martin got hurt because Bass is struggling to get his kicks over the opposing teams hands and he was chasing down that blocked kick.

 

Then Bassonatic shanks a 27 yarder into the rough... That is HS field goal range and would have given us the lead we needed to keep the game out of reach.

 

The kid has been shaky this whole season and is not looking much better down the stretch.

 

 

 

 

 

Hey now, I shank 27 yarders into the rough and WNY golf courses still allow me tee times

[Bob Jones]

7 hours ago, WideNine said:

Not just punting.

 

Martin got hurt because Bass is struggling to get his kicks over the opposing teams hands and he was chasing down that blocked kick.

 

Then Bassonatic shanks a 27 yarder into the rough... That is HS field goal range and would have given us the lead we needed to keep the game out of reach.

 

The kid has been shaky this whole season and is not looking much better down the stretch.

I don’t know this for sure because I didn’t see it, but some people said that Bass' left (plant) foot lost traction as he went to kick that 27 yarder. IF that was the case, then I can't/won't fault him for that. S**t happens sometimes in our lives which we have absolutely zero control over, like a foot slipping on the turf.

[hondo in seattle]

14 hours ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

Again, that's how you feel. That's not how everyone feels or will feel. Even around here, there's multiple posters who label him a "pervert".

 

"Who cares? Opinions are like..." is not how NFL GM's think. Distractions and Public Relations issues carry a lot of weight. And when it comes to a position like Punter, even the remote chance of a PR problem isn't worth the trouble.

 

Maybe I'm wrong but I doubt if many NFL fans label Araiza a "pervert."  

 

He went to a college party and had sex with a girl whose age he didn't know.  That doesn't sound perverted.  It sounds normal.  The sex drive is the reason our species exists.

 

I guess that many NFL fans, when they were college-aged, had sex with 17-year-olds.  In most states, it's perfectly legal.  In most cultures, it's perfectly acceptable.  

Think of famous love stories.  Marc Antony was a Roman cavalry officer serving in Egypt when he first fell in love with 14-year-old Cleopatra.  Juliet was 13 when she mixed it up with Romeo.  Heloise was between 13 and 15 when she had her romance with her much older teacher, Abelard.  Far from perverts, she went on to become a famous abbess and he became Europe's leading theologian.  None of these people are remembered by history as perverts.  

 

I'm not advocating for underage sex.  I just don't see Matt as a pedophile or pervert.  And I think most NFL fans would agree with me.  

 

Edited January 17 by hondo in seattle

[Doc]

20 hours ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

Look, i'm not saying that he doesn't deserve a second chance. I wouldn't have a problem with him getting one here.

 

My posts were in regards to someone wondering why he hasn't gotten one yet. And the fact that he hasn't speaks to your feelings really not being the end all be all.

 

You can hypothesize that no one will pickett or boycott games. You can hypothesize it won't be an issue. But you do not know that. You don't have to deal with Public Relations teams in not only an organization of your own, but a League office and commissioner that you have to answer to.

 

It's really not as simple as you and every other Araiza fan like to make it out to be. If it were, he'd have been on a team long before the Civil Suit was officially dropped. 

 

He hasn't gotten a chance because the news of him being dropped from the civil trial occurred in mid-December and teams are loathe to make a punter change that late considering they also hold for kicks.  However with the Bills it's different since Araiza has held for Bass.

 

And again, I doubt many people are going to picket or boycott over a case that was proven to be wholly without merit.   If they do, you just point them to the facts of the case.

 

11 hours ago, Bob Jones said:

I don’t know this for sure because I didn’t see it, but some people said that Bass' left (plant) foot lost traction as he went to kick that 27 yarder. IF that was the case, then I can't/won't fault him for that. S**t happens sometimes in our lives which we have absolutely zero control over, like a foot slipping on the turf.

 

My son said the hold was (also) terrible.

 

7 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

Maybe I'm wrong but I doubt if many NFL fans label Araiza a "pervert."  

 

He went to a college party and had sex with a girl whose age he didn't know.  That doesn't sound perverted.  It sounds normal.  The sex drive is the reason our species exists.

 

I guess that many NFL fans, when they were college-aged, had sex with 17-year-olds.  In most states, it's perfectly legal.  In most cultures, it's perfectly acceptable.  

Think of famous love stories.  Marc Antony was a Roman cavalry officer serving in Egypt when he first fell in love with 14-year-old Cleopatra.  Juliet was 13 when she mixed it up with Romeo.  Heloise was between 13 and 15 when she had her romance with her much older teacher, Abelard.  Far from perverts, she went on to become a famous abbess and he became Europe's leading theologian.  None of these people are remembered by history as perverts.  

 

I'm not advocating for underage sex.  I just don't see Matt as a pedophile or pervert.  And I think most NFL fans would agree with me. 

 

It's absurd to think that in California they mature a year later than 80% of the country.  And context matters.  If he, say, went to her HS and picked-her-up, it's far different than the facts that she chose to a) go to a college party, b) portray herself as of legal age and c) demand sex.  Saying "well, she's a minor and therefore isn't responsible for her actions" is a cop out.

Edited January 17 by Doc

[Riverboat Ritchie]

Any chance we bring him in for a tryout?  I’d give it a shot.