Ex-Bills Punter Matt Araiza Wasn't At Party At Time Of Alleged Rape, Prosecutors Say

Prosecutors say former Bills punter Matt Araiza couldn't have participated in a gang rape at a party back in October 2021 because they believe he wasn't even at the home at the time of the alleged incident.

San Diego deputy district attorney Trisha Amador made the claim during a 100-minute meeting with the alleged victim last year, according to court documents obtained by Yahoo Sports.

In the docs -- which Yahoo Sports reported was a 200-page transcript of the sit-down with the girl -- Amador told the teenager that Araiza "wasn't even at the party anymore."

She added when talking about a timeline of the alleged events, according to the report, "All I know is that at that point, suspect Araiza is gone from the party."

Araiza -- a former punter for San Diego State University who was picked by Buffalo in the 6th round of the 2022 NFL Draft -- was initially accused of the sexual misconduct in a lawsuit in August 2022, when a woman identified only as Jane Doe said the NFL player and two other men gang raped her at a Halloween-themed party at Araiza's San Diego home.

Doe, who said in the suit she was 17 years old at the time, alleged she and Araiza had sexual intercourse outside of the home ... before he led her to a room in the house where he and two of his SDSU teammates sexually assaulted her for over an hour.

But, according to Amador and the district attorney’s office, Araiza simply couldn't have participated in the alleged rape ... because their evidence showed he left the party at 12:30 AM -- an hour before the alleged incident occurred.

As we reported, the San Diego County District Attorney's Office initially announced in Dec. 2022 it would not file criminal charges against Araiza, saying, "There is no path to a potential criminal conviction."

22-year-old Araiza, who was cut by the Bills days after the girl's allegations were made public, had adamantly denied the claims from the start. He's remained an NFL free agent.