Matt Araiza — the former Bills punter who was cut by Buffalo in the 2022 preseason after a woman alleged he sexually assaulted her — is now signing with the Chiefs … roughly two months after his accuser dropped her lawsuit against him.
The 23-year-old football player’s agents announced the move on social media Thursday afternoon … praising the kicker for how he’s handled everything since the allegations were first brought against him nearly two years ago.
“We are grateful to Brett Veach, coach [Andy] Reid and the @Chiefs organization for giving Matt this opportunity,” JL Sports officials wrote on X. “Matt has been to hell and back in the last 18 months. He has handled himself with grace and humility that is truly inspiring.”
They added, “Matt can now move forward knowing that this ordeal is behind him. He is thrilled to move forward as a part of the #ChiefsKingdom.”
As we previously reported, Araiza’s accuser claimed in a suit filed back in August ’22 that when she was 17 years old, Araiza and two of his college football teammates raped her while she was attending a 2021 Halloween party at the punter’s San Diego-area home.
Araiza was adamant at the time the claims were false … and in December 2022, some four months after she filed the suit, prosecutors announced they would not be pressing charges against the NFLer.
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Matt Araiza Sexual Assault Accuser To Drop Lawsuit Against Ex-Bills Punter
“There is no path to a potential criminal conviction,” they said in revealing their decision.
A year later, in December 2023, Araiza’s attorneys announced the woman had dropped her suit after the parties reached an agreement.
“Matt is not paying the plaintiff any money,” Araiza’s lawyers said in a statement, “and he is reserving his right to pursue the plaintiff’s attorney, Dan Gilleon, and his law office for the harm that they have caused him.”
Araiza was a sixth-round pick in the ’22 NFL Draft … and was slated to be the Bills’ starting punter that season before the allegations came to light. He’ll now compete to be Kansas City’s starter — after its longtime punter, Tommy Townsend, is expected to hit free agency this offseason.