Matthew Ryan Araiza, popularly known as Matt Araiza, is a National Football League Buffalo Bills punter.
Araiza has entered the public consciousness recently as he, alongside one former and one current San Diego football player, has been accused of assaulting a 17-year-old girl at a house party in 2021.
According to the lawsuit, Araiza first had relations with the 17-year-old high school senior and then brought her to a room, where she was assaulted repeatedly by Zavier Leonard and Nowlin “Pa’a” Ewaliko.
Still, Araiza is fighting back against the heinous allegations as his lawyer, Kerry Armstrong, told the Los Angeles Times that the assault allegations are all false.
The lawyer further stated that the people at the party told a different story from the woman.
Armstrong continued by saying that the allegations were nothing more than a shakedown because Araiza is now a Buffalo Bills football team member and has become popular. The lawyer is adamant that Araiza did nothing to the girl.
Araiza recently won the Bills punting job this past month after the team released Matt Haack, a team veteran. Haack went on to join Indianapolis Colts.
Araiza, often called the Punt God by his fans, gained a lot of steam after recording an 82-yard punt that traveled over 75 yards in the air in his first week of the preseason.
Here Are Some Stats And Facts About Matt Araiza
| 22 | |
| $17 Million | |
| Athlete | |
| American | |
| May 16, 2000 | |
| San Diego, California | |
| 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | |
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Rancho Bernardo | |
| San Diego State | |
| Buffalo Bills | |
| 2022 – Present |
Who Are Matt Araiza’s Parents?
Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza’s parents are named Rico Araiza and Kerry Arazia.
Araiza was born and raised in the city of San Diego, California. As a kid, Araiza attended Rancho Bernardo High School. In high school, the punter played football and was a hurdler on the track and field team.
Ariaza’s talents shone through at a young age, as he was making field goals like it was nothing while still in high school. Araiza made 37 field goals and was a two-time All-American selection as a placekicker.
Due to his stellar showing while still in high school, Araiza received a lot of offers from colleges.
The most prominent offers were from the University of Massachusetts UMass Minutemen football team and the University of Montana’s Montana Grizzlies football program.
However, Araiza passed the two colleges and their teams and committed to playing college football at San Diego State University for their San Diego State Aztecs Football team.
Araiza would go on to play for the team from 2018 to 2021, earning the title of “Punt God” due to his amazing punting skills.
What Is Matt Araiza’s Ethnicity?
Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza’s ethnicity is mixed as he is of Mexican descent from his father’s side.
Rico Araiza was born in Mexico and came to the United States during an unidentified period. After arriving in America, the elder Araiza met and married Kerry Araiza, Rico’s mother of Caucasian descent.
Rico Araiza’s mixed ethnicity is something he is quite proud of as he embraces his Latin heritage, but he also loves his mother. The player has stated that she is very supportive.
Araiza’s parents’ support is visible in how the player carries himself. The player was immediately redshirted during his first year in college and served as backup to John Baron II, an All-Mountain West Conference kicker.
Still, in his first year, Araiza became the team’s placekicker and made a school record of 22 goals on 26 attempts. This achievement led to him being named an honorable mentioned All-Mountain West.
Even during the COVIC-19-shortened 2020 season, the player made 10 of 14 field goals and was named an honorable mentioned All-Mountain West for a second straight season.
These are the total career highlights and awards of Matt Azaira’s college career:
- Ray Guy Award in 2021
- Unanimous All-American in 2021
- Mountain West Conference Special Teams Player of the Year in 2021
- First-team All-MWC in 2021
Does Matt Azaira Have A Girlfriend?
Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza does not have a girlfriend and seems to be focusing on his career now.
Following the allegations against Araiza, he is facing a lot of backlash from fans, specifically female fans. The player has had to mute or limit his Instagram comments because of all the backlash he has been facing, and his Twitter posts are all filled with people bringing up the allegations.
Araiza has not made any personal comments about the allegations against him and has let his lawyers speak on his behalf for the most part. The Buffalo Bills have released a statement saying they know the situation but did not want to comment.
In the statement, they said that due to the serious nature of the complaint, they’d thoroughly examined this matter. Still, the team has not revealed the results of this thorough examination.
As it stands, Araiza’s future is not looking too good as his image worsens. The player had only recently joined the Buffalo Bills as the 180th pick in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Matt Araiza’s future is uncertain, and it’s not a light statement to say that the results of the lawsuit will determine the player’s future.