Buffalo Payments rookie punter Matt Araiza and two former San Diego State teammates have been accused of gang-raping a 17-year-old highschool pupil final 12 months, a civil go well with filed Thursday in California alleges. Araiza, Zavier Leonard and Pa’a Ewaliko are accused of rape, false imprisonment and gender-violence crimes stemming from a Halloween social gathering at Araiza’s residence on Oct. 17, 2021.

In response to the go well with filed by legal professional Dan Gilleon, the plaintiff, known as Jane Doe, was “inebriated” when she arrived and given extra alcohol by Araiza, who was 21 on the time, earlier than he ordered her to carry out oral intercourse on him in a aspect yard. The lawsuit alleges that Araiza had intercourse together with her outdoors earlier than taking her inside to a bed room the place Leonard and Ewaliko have been ready. All of them took turns sexually assaulting her for about 90 minutes as she went out and in of consciousness, the lawsuit alleges.

Supply tells me the Payments have been made conscious of the accusations in opposition to Araiza final month. They didn’t know after they drafted him, however did know after they lower Matt Haack on Monday.

— Tim Graham (@ByTimGraham) August 26, 2022

The lawsuit claims Doe went to the San Diego Police Division the subsequent day, and {that a} police investigation concerned detectives teaching her via supervised conversations with Araiza and contains direct quotes from Araiza advising her to be examined for a sexually transmitted illness.

“This was a horrific crime, the form of which occurs all too usually,” Gilleon mentioned in a press release. “What makes these crimes totally different is just not solely that they have been dedicated by self-entitled athletes. Simply as terrible because the crimes, for months, a number of organizations — SDSU, the San Diego Police Division, the San Diego District Lawyer, and now the Buffalo Payments — have acted the a part of enablers wanting the opposite means in denial that my consumer deserves justice even when the defendants are prized athletes.”

The police investigation into Araiza, Leonard and Ewaliko remains to be ongoing. An try by The Athletic to succeed in Araiza’s legal professional Thursday was not instantly returned.

A supply instructed The Athletic the Payments weren’t conscious of the allegations earlier than they drafted Araiza however have been knowledgeable of a attainable civil lawsuit final month. In a press release Thursday night time, the Payments mentioned: “We have been not too long ago made conscious of a civil criticism involving Matt from October 2021. Because of the critical nature of the criticism, we performed a radical examination of this matter. As that is an ongoing civil case, we can have no different remark at this level.”

Three days earlier than the submitting was made, Araiza, Buffalo’s sixth-round draft choose in 2022, gained the punting job when the workforce launched veteran incumbent Matt Haack. Haack has since signed with the Colts.

Araiza traveled Thursday with the Payments to their remaining preseason sport in opposition to the Carolina Panthers and is predicted to play Friday night time.