Bills coach Sean McDermott says he doesn’t know what his team is going to do with rookie punter Matt Araiza, after a rape accusation against him last year became public this week.
The Bills benched Araiza for Friday night’s preseason finale, and McDermott said afterward that he doesn’t know what the team will do with Araiza going forward.
“It is a situation that is extremely serious,” McDermott said. “It’s just hard to go through, and it’s not a situation that I or we take lightly whatsoever. It’s very serious, I understand the sensitivity of the situation, and it’s clear we have work to do to continue to figure this thing out, and we’re going to do that.”
Asked when the Bills found out that Araiza had been accused of rape, McDermott refused to answer. Asked whether he expects Araiza to be on the 53-man roster, McDermott again refused to answer.
Asked why Araiza didn’t play in Friday’s preseason game, McDermott said, “It was my decision, and at the end of the day I didn’t think it was right.”
McDermott said he has been working hard at finding the right solution, and indicated that his focus on the Araiza situation has taken his focus away from the game.
“This is a game,” McDermott said. “There are other things that are more important.”