This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Matt Araiza, who earned the nickname “Punt God” for his high, lengthy boots, often wondered if his NFL career was over before it even started.
He was released during training camp by the Buffalo Bills in 2022 and not due to performance. He was axed because he was accused of raping a 17-year-old girl at a party in October 2021 during his college career at San Diego State.
Now the punter for the Kansas City Chiefs, Araiza will be back on the field Saturday night for a road preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
And he’s highly thankful to have received a second opportunity.
“Honestly, it kept going back and forth in my mind,” Araiza said Monday of whether he’d be able to resume his career. “But yeah, there was a lot of moments where I thought it was over, so I’m incredibly grateful to be here.”
Araiza, 24, missed the last two seasons while the legal issues were worked out.
The district attorney’s office in San Diego declined to press criminal charges against Araiza in December 2022. Twelve months later, Araiza was dropped from the girl’s lawsuit.
Kansas City then signed Ariaza in February, and the early returns are favorable.
“I like him. Just keep working. Consistency always as you go,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “You can see it. I mean, he’s booming the thing. Be curious to see in games, let’s see how he does there.”
Booming punts have always been Araiza’s thing. He unleashed an 82-yard punt in a preseason game for the Bills shortly before his release and he’ll long be recalled as one of the top punters in college football history.
In the 2021 season at San Diego State, Araiza won the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s top punter and set an NCAA record with a 51.19 punting average.
Now he’s looking forward to seeing how he fares in the NFL.
“I feel like I’ve been punting really well,” Araiza said. “I’ve continued to grow. That’s probably my favorite part is, Day 1 here versus now, I’m continuing to get better, so I’m looking forward to that. Just continued growth.”
–Field Level Media
