The Buffalo Bills used punter Matt Araiza in their final preseason game at Carolina against the Panthers, but they lost 21-0. This was the only choice they could have made.
In a complaint that was submitted on Thursday in Southern California, Araiza was charged with taking part in the gang rape of a female who was 17 at the time. Despite the fact that he has not been accused, the Bills could not, in good faith, outfit Araiza.
Sean McDermott, a clearly unhappy and exhausted coach, spent nine minutes answering questions on the incident. While he didn’t elaborate much on anything and kept returning to the same canned responses, there was enough there to show that he understands the seriousness of what is happening.
Although a game had just ended, McDermott stated, “I want to talk about something that is more significant, which is what is happening with one of our team members right now, Matt Araiza.” “It is a situation that is very serious, difficult to deal with, and neither I nor we take it lightly at all. I am aware of how delicate the situation is. And it is obvious that we still have work to do to fully understand this situation, which we will undertake.
McDermott fielded a barrage of inquiries, but he steadfastly refrained from discussing One Bills Drive’s workings as he frequently does.
He was questioned on numerous occasions on when he first became aware of the claims against Araiza, what the team knew, whether the Bills’ flimsy denial is sufficient at this point, and whether Araiza will continue to play for the team going forward.
It’s not a situation we take lightly, he remarked when asked about how female Bills supporters in particular could be feeling. I’m hurt, and I recognise that they’re hurt. It’s also emotional. Say, hearing about some of the things I’ve heard about over the past few hours is not simple. To be really honest with you, haven’t slept much.
He referred to trying to figure out exactly what transpired and how the team appeared to have been unaware of anything until just lately several times by saying, “We have work to do.”