Why Sports Media Ignored Matt Araiza's Innocence

Fear of social shame prevented honest discussion of punter's exoneration

This week, we have quite a headline from the great Dan Wetzel of Yahoo!:

Prosecutors: Former Bills punter Matt Araiza wasn't present during alleged gang rape

Well, this is, in theory, the end of that chapter. Matt Araiza, in exile from the NFL ever since the Bills cut him on account of this gang rape accusation back in August, will likely be let back into the league. He still faces an accuser’s civil suit, the start of which kicked off the 2022 media firestorm that swallowed up his career, but Wetzel’s piece notes how that civil case now appears to have major credibility issues:

The dual investigations by police and prosecutors included over 35 witness interviews (including some of the girl’s friends who came to the party with her that night), the results of a Sexual Assault Team exam conducted the following day and 10 search warrants that produced 4 terabytes of information, including numerous short videos of some of the alleged encounters. They led authorities to come to vastly different conclusions than what was alleged in the civil lawsuit.

It would seem that the Yahoo! article, supplemented by the 200-plus page report offered up by San Diego prosecutors, built on cited video evidence, has finally turned the tide on how this story can be discussed in media. With Wetzel now adding his gravitas, and SD prosecutors offering a public debunking of civil suit claims, it is now officially OK to speak freely about the falseness of this gothically graphic tale that resulted in the NFL’s most talented young punter getting booted, essentially, from the league.