1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Friday “Aztecs Football–The Dark Side”
“Aztecs Football-Legends & Lawsuits”
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San Diego State’s colors are red-and-black.
Now the colors seem to be Blood Red-Dark Black.
The career of legendary punter Matt Araiza is headed for trouble.
His personal life may be in disarray.
The incident he got himself involved in could be catastrophic.
An 18-year old Grossmont High girl has filed a lawsuit against the former Aztec and two young teammates, charging they gang raped her in Araiza’s apartment last October.
Underage at 17, she was heavily intoxicated, wound up at an off campus party at Araiza’s apartment. She maintains he forced oral sex then assaulted her from behind outside..
She says she was led to his bedroom, where she was continually raped by 2-other SDSU players for 90-minutes, left unconscious with 3-different injries.
The lawsuit language is so graphic it is sickening.
This is more than ‘he said-she said’
Part of the evidence is also a documented phone call between the victim and the punter in which he admitted he had sex with the drunken teen, and then admitted he had tested positive for a sexually transmitted disease of his penis.
Tangled in the horrors of the incident is the fact it appears there is a coverup. San Diego police took 10-months to complete the investigation. They asked SDSU not to begin their on campus probe till it was over.
No players have been charged yet, but the insinuation is SDSU dragged its feet because it involved players, name players, on their 12-win football team.
Brady Hoke told me directly that no one in athletics knew who was being investigated or questioned.
But social media was abuzz across campus who might have been involved last November.
Here we are headed for September and no one has been charged.
This story is far from over.
San Diego police turned all the evidence over to the District Attorney. He has yet to present it to a Grand Jury. If so an indictment may follow. Then obviously a trial.
Social media on campus was like a raging fire o Thursday and in Buffalo where Araiza is in training cam. On Montezuma Mesa where now Aztecs fans feel betrayed by a player who received universal praise for what he made himself into.
Innocent till proven guilty, but the descriptive court papers paint him in a horrible light.
Someone may try to hide behind ‘consensual sex’, but someone 17-is underage. And the injuries were so descriptive, it’s hard to believe that there was not criminal acts involved.
It surely makes you feel angry about the way Araiza represented himself all thru his All American-Ray Guy winning season. The feel good story of the kicker-punter and record setting season is washed away.
What does it say about the person, since Araiza paraded around campus and interacted like a star with everyone, from October thru the NFL draft into May, knowing this was on his conscience.
The high school girl cannot wash away the pain, shame and psychological damage.
You think of SDSU football as they start the season next week, and the shine has come off football right now.
Fearing dark times are coming in the life of the NFL rookie. Understand too, the NFL will intercede too.
You know, Aztecs football, whose colors might be Blood Red-and-Dark Black before this is done.
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The NFL and Bill’s allegedly have background checks before they draft or sign players. Will we once again see a woman paid off for silence so a man can get paid to play a game?
Until there are real consequences where players are kicked out of the league where they are still free to play in Canada, Arena leagues, beer leagues,or prison leagues, nothing will change.