Matt Araiza

Araiza grew up in San Diego, California, and attended Rancho Bernardo High School, where he played football and soccer, and was a hurdler on the track and field team. He made 37 field goals and was a two-time All-America selection as a placekicker. Araiza committed to play college football at San Diego State University (SDSU) over offers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Montana. ==College career==

At SDSU, Araiza was redshirted his true freshman season for the Aztecs. He served as the backup to All-Mountain West Conference kicker John Baron II. Araiza became the team's placekicker as a redshirt freshman and made a school-record 22 field goals on 26 attempts and was named honorable mention All-Mountain West. Araiza made 10 of 14 field goal attempts in SDSU's COVID-19-shortened 2020 season and was named honorable mention All-Mountain West for a second straight season. He assumed punting duties during the team's opening game against UNLV and averaged 49.8 yards on five punts. In 2021, Araiza was named first-string punter in addition to his kicking duties going into his redshirt junior season and was named a midseason All-American by ESPN at the position. He finished the season averaging 51.19 yards per punt, breaking the NCAA record set by Texas A&M's Braden Mann in 2018 (50.98) and earning himself the nickname "Punt God" from fans. Araiza has stated that he does not "necessarily love the nickname", though he recognized it as a "huge compliment". Araiza won the Ray Guy Award as the top punter in the nation, and he became the second player in Aztecs history to be named a unanimous All-American. ==Professional career==

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills selected Araiza in the sixth round with the 180th overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft. He was the third punter selected in the draft, behind two others in the fourth round. As a rookie, he was named the Bills' starting punter following the release of veteran Matt Haack. Araiza did not dress for the Bills' final preseason game on August 26, 2022, one day after a lawsuit accusing him and two former SDSU teammates of rape became public. He was released the next day, on August 27. The Bills said they had become aware of the allegations against Araiza in July, after he was drafted. Kansas City Chiefs Araiza signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on February 22, 2024, after he had been dropped from the suit. In his first year in the NFL, Araiza was selected as an alternate in the Pro Bowl. Araiza played in Super Bowl LIX, punting 6 times for an average of 51.8 yards, which is a new Super Bowl record, as the Chiefs lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 22–40. On April 20, 2026, Araiza re-signed with the Chiefs on a one-year contract. ==NFL career statistics==

Regular season ==Personal life==

Araiza is of Mexican descent through his father who was born in Mexico. Gang rape allegations In 2022, Araiza was named as a defendant in a civil case in which two SDSU teammates and he were accused of gang raping a then-17-year-old girl, who was under the age of consent in California, at an off-campus party in 2021. Araiza has denied the allegations. His lawyer described the allegations as "a money grab" from the accuser, while she stated that she reported the incident the day after the alleged rape, before she was aware of Araiza's background. The San Diego County District Attorney's Office did not file criminal charges against Araiza or the other two teammates, stating, "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". Prior to the announcement, the office met with the accuser and her attorney to discuss their decision to not press charges. Based on a witness and other information, the district attorney's office stated that Araiza could not have been involved as he had "left the party at 12:30 [am]", about 30 minutes before the first of about nine short videos of sex acts of the alleged encounter. and said that he remained outside afterwards "for the rest of the party." On December 12, 2023, Araiza and his accuser mutually agreed to drop their respective lawsuits against each other with neither party admitting any wrongdoing and no money changing hands. Araiza retained the right to sue his accuser's lawyer, Dan Gilleon, after a one-year cooling off period, a favorable ruling for a potential malicious prosecution claim. ==References==