Editors’ note: This story contains accounts of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or at https://www.rainn.org.
Three players from the 2021 San Diego State football team, including punter Matt Araiza, have been formally accused of gang raping a 17-year-old girl at an off-campus party last year, according to a copy of a lawsuit filed in San Diego County Superior Court Thursday. The suit was first reported on by the Los Angeles Times.
The suit alleges Araiza, a 2022 sixth-round pick by the Bills, raped the minor outside the residence where the party took place before bringing her inside to a room where the girl, now 18, says she recalls being raped and assaulted by multiple men. The lawsuit also names offensive lineman Zavier Leonard, who’s currently listed as a redshirt freshman entering the ’22 campaign, and former defensive lineman Nowlin “Pa’a” Ewaliko, a rising sophomore who left the university after last season.
