Kansas City Chiefs kicker Matt Araiza has come an awfully long way. After seeing his NFL career come to an abrupt end even before it started due to sexual assault charges that stemmed from his time at San Diego State, the 24-year-old is now back in the league — with the two-time defending champions, no less.
Araiza is more than happy to be in the position he is in right now, and he’s not taking anything for granted.
Kansas City Chiefs News: Matt Araiza’s Career Admission
Even before his rookie year started, Araiza saw himself getting released by the Buffalo Bills after he was dragged into a lawsuit surrounding a 17-year-old girl allegedly being raped at a party in San Diego in 2021. Araiza was eventually able to clear his name after it was proven that he was not at the party at the time of the rape.
Be that as it may, it wasn’t until this offseason that the embattled punter finally got the call to return to the NFL.
“It’s going to be pretty surreal,” Araiza said of his comeback, via Adam Teicher of ESPN. “Definitely going to take it all in. There were a lot of moments where I thought it was over, so I’m incredibly grateful to be here.”
“… I love football. I love being out here, so it was on my mind a lot. It was tough to watch Sundays for sure. Really tough.”
Araize clearly went through quite a traumatic past few years but at this point, he’s just glad to be back.
Araiza also knows that his name will forever be blemished by this incident. However, he maintains his innocence.
“Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but I think if you do your own research, I think you can come to a pretty clear conclusion,” Araiza said.
Sd 072422 Bills Camp 17 Spts
The most important thing here is football — especially for the Chiefs. Araiza himself knows that he’s very much capable of taking on this upcoming challenge with Kansas City, and he plans on making the most out of it.
“I feel like I’ve been punting really well,” Araiza said. “I’ve continued to grow. That’s probably my favorite part is, day one here versus now, I’m continuing to get better, so I’m looking forward to that. Just continued growth.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTkWCz67dh4&pp=ygULbWF0dCBhcmFpemE%3D
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