SAN DIEGO — Two more former San Diego State University football players have been added to the lawsuit brought by a woman who said she was gang raped at a house party near the campus nearly in fall 2021.
Jaiden Brown, 20, and Jonathan Harrison, 21, were recently added to the suit that names three others, including punter Matt Araiza, a collegiate standout whose nascent NFL career was halted after the suit was filed last summer. Araiza and co-defendants Zavier Leonard and Nowlin "Pa'a" Ewaliko have denied the allegations and said contact with the woman was consensual.
After a months-long police investigation, the San Diego County District Attorney's Office announced in December that it would not file criminal charges.
The woman filed the civil suit in August, alleging she was raped by a group of men in a bedroom at a party held at a College Area home in October 2021, when she was 17 years old.
It remains unclear what Harrison and Brown are specifically accused of, and the Union-Tribune was unable to immediately obtain clarification.
Harrison's attorney, Kerry Steigerwalt, declined Wednesday to say whether his client was at the party. He did say his client is hoping to return to the team. SDSU said Harrison is still enrolled at the university.
"We tried desperately to keep him out of harm's way and keep him out of the crosshairs of any investigation," Steigerwalt said. He declined further comment.
Brown — who is no longer at San Diego State — could not be immediately reached for comment.
The two men were on the Aztec football roster in 2021 — Brown was a redshirt freshman that season and Harrison played in seven games. Neither appear on the roster for the 2023 season.
The woman's attorney, Dan Gilleon, declined comment.
The lawsuit alleges Araiza had sex with her in a side yard of the residence then brought her into a bedroom where she said men took turns raping her.
The woman, referred to in search warrant affidavits as Jane Doe, told detectives she was not scared, but felt "defeated" and knew that something was going to happen so she cooperated to avoid being hurt.
Araiza flatly denies the allegation, and said he was "never in the room ... never in the house." A witness told police Araiza had left the party about half an hour before the alleged incident. Araiza had been drafted by the Buffalo Bills in spring 2022, but the team cut him months later, after the civil suit was filed.
The police investigation turned up about nine short videos recorded early Oct. 17, 2021, that appear to show the woman engaged in sex acts with different men. Araiza does not appear in any of the videos, and he has asked the court to turn the videos over to his defense team.
"The videos are critical to showing that Mr. Araiza was not present during the alleged rape and that the Plaintiff consented to sexual contact with the other suspects," reads a recently filed motion filed from Araiza's attorneys.
Araiza's legal team is seeking to go to trial as soon as possible in hopes of clearing his name to clear the way for a possible return to the NFL.
