Matt Araiza was tossed out of professional football in 2022 after a sexual assault allegation exploded in the media. But now that the dust has settled on a pair of opposing lawsuits, the former SDSU star kicker is back in the NFL.
He signed earlier this year with the Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs.
Growing up in the San Diego area, Araiza started off his football journey at Rancho Bernardo High School where he won a CIF Division II championship in 2015 and was a two-time All-American selection.
Araiza went on to play for SDSU on a full-ride scholarship, serving as the team’s kicker and punter for three seasons.
His leg talent burst onto the college football scene during his junior year in 2021.
He set the NCAA record for average punt yardage (51.2) and took home numerous awards, including MWC Special Teams Player of the Year, first-team All-MWC and was named a unanimous All-American.
Most notably, Araiza took home the Ray Guy Award, which goes to college football’s most outstanding punter.
Araiza was the second player in SDSU history, after Marshall Faulk, selected as a unanimous All-American.
In April 2022, Araiza turned pro and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills as the 180th overall pick in the sixth round, which surprised some commentators due to the record-setting year behind him. Media outlets have reported that the Bills organization did not learn about the serious accusations made against him until after the draft.
In August 2022, he won the battle for punting duties in training camp. An 82-yard punt in a preseason game highlighted his performance.
But as the preseason was wrapping up, Araiza, along with two other former SDSU teammates, was publicly accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl the previous October at an off-campus party in the College Area.
The next day, Araiza was not in uniform for the Bills’ final tuneup game and was released shortly after the news reports of the allegations came out.
Araiza stayed out of football for two and a half years.
Nearly four months after a civil lawsuit was filed against Araiza and others, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office announced that it would not press charges against him.
Prosecutors said, “The evidence does not support the filing of criminal charges, and there is no path to a potential criminal conviction.” They released a 200-page-plus transcript suggesting that Araiza wasn’t present when an alleged gang rape took place inside the home.
With that in hand, Araiza filed litigation of his own, alleging defamation. In the lawsuit, he admitted to having sex with the minor outside the home but said it was consensual, and that she lied about her age.
In December 2023, Araiza and his accuser’s lawyer, Dan Gilleon, agreed to move on and drop their respective lawsuits.
Araiza, however, reserved the right to sue Gilleon after a cooling-off period and ended up settling with Gilleon this summer. The terms were not disclosed publicly.
At that time, Araiza had been out of football for two and a half years, and his only workout since getting booted from the Bills was with the New York Jets in May 2023.
With the sexual assault case behind him, Araiza put his football career back on track. The Chiefs signed Araiza to a one-year, $795,000 deal, shortly after repeating another Super Bowl win.
Having previously served as SDSU’s place kicker and punter, Araiza currently handles the punting duties for the Kansas City Chiefs.
In the 2024-2025 season, Araiza tallied eight punts on an average of 50 yards, four of them were downed inside the 20-yard line for the defending back-to-back champions.
Araiza could not be reached for an interview.
