Lack of criminal charges against Matt Araiza finally explained

Former Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza was reportedly not present during an alleged gang rape, per Yahoo Sports.

The Buffalo Bills and Matt Araiza parted ways as the punter was facing a criminal and civil case regarding rape allegations. The alleged incident, which involved a then-17-year-old female, was investigated by San Diego police and the area’s district attorney.

Per the Yahoo report, the deputy DA told the victim that Araiza was not at the party when the alleged incident occurred.

“He wasn’t even at the party anymore,” deputy district attorney Trisha Amador explained to the girl, via Yahoo Sports. “All I know is that at that point, suspect Araiza is gone from the party.”

It was announced in December that Araiza would not face criminal charges after police spent the better part of 10 months investigating the case, which allegedly occurred when Araiza was a member of the San Diego State football team.

Charges against Matt Araiza were dropped in December

“Ultimately, prosecutors determined it is clear the evidence does not support the filing of criminal charges and there is no path to a potential criminal conviction,” the DA’s office said at the time. “Prosecutors can only file charges when they ethically believe they can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The DA also informed the victim that she said her age was 18 several times at the party, which led to a miscommunication between the parties involved. The prosecution of Araiza received videos of the alleged incident, and surveillance from the party itself.

While the videos don’t necessarily prove that Araiza didn’t commit the crime, he doesn’t appear on film, making the criminal case tough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

A complete, detailed summary of the district attorney’s report was published by Yahoo on Monday night. It can be read here (warning: content contains depictions of alleged sexual assault).

The civil case against Araiza remains open.