Former Bills punter Matt Araiza looked like everything was crumbling down around him when he was accused of sexual assault in 2022. Now, things are finally looking back up for the young man.
RELATED: Former Bills Punter Matt Araiza Wants His Spot BACK In The NFL As He Reclaims His Good Name
Chiefs Sign Araiza
The Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs wasted little time in the offseason grabbing hold of the one-time “Punt God” Araiza.
The punter had been languishing in a hell of accusations and lawsuits, only to see them all crash and burn.
First, he was accused of sexual assault in an alleged incident in October 2021, which led to a civil lawsuit and the Bills releasing him from the roster.
The tale is long and sordid, but you can read about how the accusations fell apart in our previous piece, here.
Eventually, the lawsuit was dropped. Still, as seems to be too common in our society, Araiza didn’t benefit from his innocence. Instead, he spent the entire NFL season looking for someone to sign him.
Chiefs Coach Andy Reid rode to that rescue. Araiza’s agent announced the move:
“We are proud to announce that our client Matt Araiza has signed with the Chiefs. We are grateful to Brett Veach, coach Reid and the Chiefs organization for giving Matt this opportunity,” the agency said. “Matt has been to hell and back in the last 18 months. He has handled himself with grace and humility that is truly inspiring. Matt can now move forward knowing that this ordeal is behind him. He is thrilled to move forward as a part of the Chiefs Kingdom.”
We all know why the Bills did what they did – but is that how we want our society to operate?
Do we want people to lose their livelihoods and everything they spent decades working for, based on mere accusations?
And then when those accusations don’t pan out, the accused is still the victim – most of the time.
This time, justice won, and we have the Chiefs to thank for giving this young man another shot.
