Matt Araiza, American Football player for San Diego State University, is now under question for his alleged participation in gang rape and sexual assault of a 17 year old woman who prefers to keep their identity hidden. Along with Araiza, two other former San Diego State Football Players, Zavier Leonard and Nowlin Ewaliko, are also under suspicion for their alleged involvement.

The victim states that, “Araiza and his teammates violently gang-raped her, leaving bruises and bloody marks. She also said her piercings were ripped out.” These recent allegations coming to light have completely tainted the image that the 22 year old athlete has built up for years, and the consequences for his involvement have shown to be severe. The Buffalo Bills, a football team all the way from New York, have decided to release Araiza, one of the rising NFL’s stars, days after the accusation. The Buffalo Bills state that the situation, “if true, are reprehensible ” making Araiza’s career at risk.

Despite the controversy, Matt Araiza still seems to claim his innocence on the current situation at hand saying, “The facts of the incident are not what they are portrayed in the lawsuit or in the press. I look forward to quickly setting the record straight.” Araiza’s attorney Kerry Armstrong also strongly argues that the athlete is innocent, and states, “He is 100% adamant that he never forcibly raped this young lady or forcibly had sex with her in any type of way”. As of now there have been no arrests made and the police have not publicly identified any of the suspects.

Given the weight of the case, it is likely that there will be a massive divide between those involved in the case and public opinion. Some sources have immediately jumped to his defense saying, “Araiza was tried, convicted and sentenced by the lying leftist press. He didn’t have a chance against the well-practiced smear avalanche.” Others argue, “The fact that Bills punter Matt Araiza admitted to having sex with a minor is problematic,” according to a prominent attorney.

While others might believe otherwise, I don’t think there is enough definitive evidence to come to the conclusion that he is innocent or guilty. Abuse allegations should definitely be taken very seriously with great attention but it’s important to be sure that there is enough information before the gavel is slammed. There have certainly been cases of famous athletes subjugated to false accusations, for example Nikki Yovino, would falsely accuse two college football players of sexual assault in 2016. The aforementioned caused devastating results for the athletes and one of them, Malik St. Hilaire, came out to say, “I went from being a college student to sitting at home being expelled with no way to clear my name,” and “I just hope she knows what she has done to me, my life will never be the same. I did nothing wrong, but everything has been altered because of this.” Given this, I think that until proven, it’s best that people remain as open minded as possible since it might only cause the tension of the case to grow.

Until the case is resolved, one thing that is for sure is that Araiza’s dream to pursue football will definitely be put on hold for the time being as the athlete will have to fight long and hard if he is to proclaim the innocence he has asserted. And if the athlete is guilty, it goes to show that participation in such appalling acts will never be tolerated under any circumstances by law and how easy it is for someone to lose everything they have achieved due to one foolish choice.