Bills show what a class organization they are

[ControllerOfPlanetX]

55 minutes ago, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said:

 

 

Yes agree, false information is an issue!

 

Below from two different  articles, 2nd from our buddy John Warrow.  I've also read other articles that have implied the same.  Sounds like there was something out there, not faulting the Bills for not finding it as many other also didn't but also not absolving them completely either.

 

But of course these articles must be all wrong I'd assume?  I'm not condemning the Bills for not immediately releasing him and do question much about this whole thing.  But do agree with Dingus, a thread calling the Bills a "Class act" for their handling of this is a bit over the top.  They did what they had to do to avoid bad press and this continuing as a distraction and there's nothing wrong with coming to that conclusion either.

 

 

Several other teams executives also have told the AP they weren’t aware. But executives from two different teams told the AP they became aware of Araiza’s involvement in an incident during the draft process. Neither person knew the extent of the allegations and both people said it didn’t impact Araiza’s status on their draft boards because they weren’t interested in selecting the punter.

 

Executives from two different teams told The Associated Press they became aware of Araiza’s involvement in an incident during the draft process, but neither person knew the extent of the allegations. Executives from three other teams said they had no knowledge of the allegations against Araiza before the draft and only learned of the incident Thursday. All the people spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter

So the executives that were aware of the incident, why didn’t they alert the NFL? Which in turn could alert all the teams? It’s not like it’s a minor offense.

 

[UKBillFan]

Just now, ControllerOfPlanetX said:

So the executives that were aware of the incident, why didn’t they alert the NFL? Which in turn could alert all the teams? It’s not like it’s a minor offense.

 

 

In an incident but they did not know the severity of it. How would theconversation have gone?

 

Exec: Araiza may have been been involved in an incident.

NFL: What kind of incident?

Exec: No idea.

NFL: Is it serious?

Exec: No idea.

NFL: Are any other people involved?

Exec: No idea.

NFL: Could it raise questions about his personal conduct?

Exec: No idea.

NFL: Well... thanks.

[Shaw66]

I'm fine with how all this is playing out, but I can't say that I think the Bills did a great job, especially in dealing with the press. 

 

The Bills drafted a player who had a problem brewing in his personal life.  The Bills didn't know about the problem, and apparently the great majority of other teams didn't know about it, either.  There's a limit to how much due diligence the team can do on the dozens and dozens of players they have on their board.   And the amount of investigation depends on how high the guy is likely to be drafted and what position he plays.   They did, I'm sure, the investigation they thought was appropriate for a punter they might take in the later rounds.  

 

Araiza knew about the problem but believed, apparently, that he had no legal responsibility and that it would go away, or perhaps had already gone away.  If he knew it was worse than that, then he should have told teams when they asked, but he didn't.  In any case, the Bills did what they were supposed to do.  

 

In July, they learned of the allegations that the woman was making.  The Bills apparently talked to the league, talked to the local police, and didn't learn anything more than what they learned from the woman's lawyer.   So, at that point they were looking at the woman saying these things happened and Araiza saying they didn't.  It was not public.   The team can't be expected to cut a guy just because one person says something happened - if teams did that, all kinds of stupid crank accusations would come up.   Suppose the week of the Bills-Chiefs playoff game a woman in KC claims Tyreek Hill raped her - at the Chiefs supposed to cut him, right then and there?   

 

The Bills didn't need to call the woman's lawyer back.   He'd already told the Bills the woman's version of the facts, and the lawyer wasn't going to have more facts in August.   They didn't need to talk to the woman - in fact, her lawyer probably wouldn't let them talk to her, because she'd never tell the story exactly the same, so there would be contradictions that arose, maybe innocent, but still contradictions.  

 

The Bills didn't have any obligation to make the whole thing public when they got the news in July.  It was up to the woman and Araiza to decide whether to go public about it. 

 

In the meantime, the Bills make their decisions and move on.  Might it have made sense to hold on to Haack for a few more weeks because it was possible something broke?   Well, yeah, I suppose, but the Bills had no way to know if or when anything would break.  But frankly, it's a minor decision.  The guy is a punter, and if something happens that forces the Bills to release him, they can always find another punter.  When they let Haack go, they decided they'd go with the best punter, and if something happened, then they would deal with it. 

 

Something happened.  She sued Araiza.   The news broke late on Thursday, the Bills were on the road and had a game Friday.  The Bills benched Araiza for the game and cut him on Saturday.   Could they have acted faster?  Well, maybe, but really, they were on the road, they had to talk to lawyers and to the NFL and to Araiza and his lawyers and to the union.  

 

I'm fine with all of that.  

 

I think McDermott was pretty bad in his solo press conference after the game, and I think both Beane and McDermott did a poor job in the press conference Saturday night.  McDermott clearly was afraid to say the wrong thing and wasn't comfortable with what he should say.  Beane, to his credit, powered through as well as he could.  The best thing he said, twice, was that he and McD are just football people and they don't know how to handle all of this.  They're just trying to do the best they can.  

 

The worst thing he said, over and over, was that the Bills decided to cut him because it would be best for Matt to focus on dealing with this problem.   That's pure BS.   If you have a job, and you get sued, the worst thing that can happen to you is to get fired from your job.  You want to keep your job, if for no other reason because you'll need to pay your lawyers.   Watson didn't get fired - he practiced all last season, just didn't play in any games.   He has some serious allegations going on, and he didn't need to quit his job to deal with them, and Araiza didn't, either.  

 

The Bills cut Araiza for one simple reason - once they cut him the press will stop talking about it as an issue.   The only story the press question the press has that people are interested is "why do you continue to have this bad man on your roster?"   As soon as you cut the guy, the question goes away.   Nobody, at lest nobody who's getting national coverage, is asking the Texans why it took them so long to get rid of Watson.   To the extent anyone cares are bad men in the NFL, they're asking the Browns that question now.   Nobody is going to be asking three weeks from now why the Bills didn't cut Araiza in July.   The Bills know that, and the NFL PR people told them that.  

 

The Bills knew if they cut the guy, they'd have a press conference to stumble through, some follow up questions in the following days, and then it will be over.   So, that's what they did.  Beane and McDermott did stumble, but they got through it.  They'll have a few more questions, but they'll be telling the press that the team is moving on.  

 

The press, for their part, were as bad as you'd expect, smelling blood in the water and going after it, trying to make a story out of why the Bills didn't do more in July or learn about this before the draft or something, but really, it sounds like throughout the whole thing the Bills did what a football team is supposed to do. 

 

 

 

[ControllerOfPlanetX]

9 minutes ago, UKBillFan said:

 

In an incident but they did not know the severity of it. How would theconversation have gone?

 

Exec: Araiza may have been been involved in an incident.

NFL: What kind of incident?

Exec: No idea.

NFL: Is it serious?

Exec: No idea.

NFL: Are any other people involved?

Exec: No idea.

NFL: Could it raise questions about his personal conduct?

Exec: No idea.

NFL: Well... thanks.

Multi-billion dollar industry…where executives constantly have selective amnesia.

[C.Biscuit97]

I mean it was the punter. A rookie in at that. Now would they have done the same thing if it was Allen or Diggs?

28 minutes ago, NastyNateSoldiers said:

I’m sorry but this young lady just ruined this young man’s life because she can’t keep her legs closed . It’s absolutely disgusting to me what society has become. Guilty before proven innocent is not a path we want to take but it seems like that’s where we’re heading now.
 

 The liberal media went into full attack mode on this young man even without the all the facts . These same people wouldn’t like to lose there careers over someone simply making accusations against them or even against there children but somehow when it’s someone else the pitch forks and shovels are brought out in full effect.  
 

Araiza college team knew the facts of what went down and they didn’t kick this kid off the team . Where was the media sht storm then? Why was this swept under the rug this long? I’m not sure if Matt is innocent but what I do know is he shouldn’t be punished until everything plays out and if it turns out he’s guilty then absolutely kick him off the team and send him to prison immediately. 
 

At the end of the day Araiza busted his tail to make it to the NFL and he was well on his way to a long prosperous career he reached his dream and it was crushed in a matter of days. I can only imagine how he and his family are feeling right now. This young lady better have some real proof that he did these things but it seems like that’s not the case because there was no criminal charges pressed from the very beginning. 

This is parody account right? Because if not, you are a horrible human being. 
 

also, you really owned the liberal media with them being against gang rape and sex with a minor. What a bunch of liberal losers!

Edited August 28, 2022 by C.Biscuit97

[NastyNateSoldiers]

5 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

This is utter nonsense.  First the Buffalo Bills are under no obligation to wait for complete adjudication of this to make a decision concerning the franchise.  New York is an at will state; any business can let an employee go without cause unless it violates the law.  And no employment law is being violated here.  The Bills decided they did not want the distraction and have moved on.  If the player is found innocent his career awaits him.
 

This incident will be brought to the justice system and we will see what happens.  In the meantime what is disgusting about society is that there are still Neanderthals who reflexively blame the victims in a sexually assault case and use phrases like “she can’t keep her legs cliaed@ to do so.  That is revolting, and it has nothing to do with liberal press or any of that kind of nonsense.  It has to do with basic human decency.

I didn’t say the Bills were in violation of anything the violation is the media that forced the issue. Had this story been told in a unbiased manner the Bills would have kept Araiza on there team.  I’m sorry if u have taken offense to my words but more then half the accusations like this are usually completely false.
 

The media should be unbiased when it comes to cases like this and wait till things play out before they start demanding a person lose there lively hood . I don’t know if u have children but u wouldn’t want that to happen to someone u love or yourself for that matter without having concrete proof that the person in question is absolutely guilty. In this case the only thing Araiza admitted to was the sex which can be strictly platonic. 

 

Lastly I did say something that can catch people off guard with legs closed statement . But these girls should have some responsibility in these types of situations. She’s in a atmosphere that she should be ultra careful with herself maybe she shouldn’t take drinks from a stranger, she should fix her own beverages on top of that why is she drinking alcohol when she’s under age ? Where’s the responsibility and the accountability for these girls they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by making those accusations without complete proof that these things occurred. 

[oldmanfan]

1 minute ago, NastyNateSoldiers said:

I didn’t say the Bills were in violation of anything the violation is the media that forced the issue. Had this story been told in a unbiased manner the Bills would have kept Araiza on there team.  I’m sorry if u have taken offense to my words but more then half the accusations like this are usually completely false.
 

The media should be unbiased when it comes to cases like this and wait till things play out before they start demanding a person lose there lively hood . I don’t know if u have children but u wouldn’t want that to happen to someone u love or yourself for that matter without having concrete proof that the person in question is absolutely guilty. In this case the only thing Araiza admitted to was the sex which can be strictly platonic. 

 

Lastly I did say something that can catch people off guard with legs closed statement . But these girls should have some responsibility in these types of situations. She’s in a atmosphere that she should be ultra careful with herself maybe she shouldn’t take drinks from a stranger, she should fix her own beverages on top of that why is she drinking alcohol when she’s under age ? Where’s the responsibility and the accountability for these girls they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by making those accusations without complete proof that these things occurred. 

I have daughters and like most fathers with daughters teach them exactly what you described.  But sometimes kids make mistakes, which does not mean they should then be considered sexual prey.  You thought you were being cute by your comment I suppose, but what it showed is that you have a misogynistic, Neanderthal mentality.  Your comment was sickening to anyone with a shred of decency.

 

As far as the media as near as I can tell they reported facts; that there was a lawsuit filed, and then the attorneys for both sides got their say and as one would expect they were each hyperbolic in defense of their clients.  The Bills might have a media thing now to deal with, but their decision comes down to not wanting to deal with the distraction, which they have every right to do.

[NastyNateSoldiers]

6 minutes ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

I mean it was the punter. A rookie in at that. Now would they have done the same thing if it was Allen or Diggs?

This is parody account right? Because if not, you are a horrible human being. 
 

also, you really owned the liberal media with them being against gang rape and sex with a minor. What a bunch of liberal losers!

Gang rape? So he’s guilty then ? Where’s the police where’s the facts ? I think that might escape u a little bit . People like u deal in fantasy people like me deal in reality. I know how to be patient and wait for the system to play out. If Araiza is guilty then he deserves prison and much more for that. 
 

But people like u want to just get over with it and not wait for the process to play out . People like u just want to sacrifice peoples lives without any real evidence. 

[CSBill]

19 minutes ago, NastyNateSoldiers said:

I didn’t say the Bills were in violation of anything the violation is the media that forced the issue. Had this story been told in a unbiased manner the Bills would have kept Araiza on there team.  I’m sorry if u have taken offense to my words but more then half the accusations like this are usually completely false.
 

The media should be unbiased when it comes to cases like this and wait till things play out before they start demanding a person lose there lively hood . I don’t know if u have children but u wouldn’t want that to happen to someone u love or yourself for that matter without having concrete proof that the person in question is absolutely guilty. In this case the only thing Araiza admitted to was the sex which can be strictly platonic. 

 

Lastly I did say something that can catch people off guard with legs closed statement . But these girls should have some responsibility in these types of situations. She’s in a atmosphere that she should be ultra careful with herself maybe she shouldn’t take drinks from a stranger, she should fix her own beverages on top of that why is she drinking alcohol when she’s under age ? Where’s the responsibility and the accountability for these girls they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by making those accusations without complete proof that these things occurred. 

I know this fact is inconvenient to your perspective, but to make myself feel good about trying to help make the world a better place, I’ll repost it here:

 

“Do a Google search on the topic and, depending on how one classifies it, experts report that no more than 10%, to as low as 2%, of all rape accusations are falsified. So, even in the best of odds, 9 out of 10 accusations are proven true.”

 

 

Edited August 28, 2022 by CSBill

[NastyNateSoldiers]

2 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

I have daughters and like most fathers with daughters teach them exactly what you described.  But sometimes kids make mistakes, which does not mean they should then be considered sexual prey.  You thought you were being cute by your comment I suppose, but what it showed is that you have a misogynistic, Neanderthal mentality.  Your comment was sickening to anyone with a shred of decency.

 

As far as the media as near as I can tell they reported facts; that there was a lawsuit filed, and then the attorneys for both sides got their say and as one would expect they were each hyperbolic in defense of their clients.  The Bills might have a media thing now to deal with, but their decision comes down to not wanting to deal with the distraction, which they have every right to do.

Mistakes can be made by both sides they are all young in this case . Do u think Matt Araiza walks around with a case full of Rufees ? Just raping girls like a sport? 
 

I grew up in the 90s was very aware of pouring my own drinks for incidents just like this or even worse. I know men that were drugged by women and robbed that very same night. There’s been other incidents where people have been killed in situations like these. Men and Women are victims of rape and other horrific crimes and it’s a serious matter that has something to do with the environment there living in.

 

 My problem is not with the Bills it’s with people coming to conclusions without all the facts. These are peoples lives were talking about and if Araiza and his teammates are guilty then they deserve the worst punishment that can be given to them. 

[LabattBlue]

33 minutes ago, UKBillFan said:

 

In an incident but they did not know the severity of it. How would theconversation have gone?

 

Exec: Araiza may have been been involved in an incident.

NFL: What kind of incident?

Exec: No idea.

NFL: Is it serious?

Exec: No idea.

NFL: Are any other people involved?

Exec: No idea.

NFL: Could it raise questions about his personal conduct?

Exec: No idea.

NFL: Well... thanks.

You really believe if an NFL exec, or someone paid to investigate potential draftees, would find out there was something in his past, but then not take the time to dig a little deeper?  Seriously?

[UKBillFan]

Just now, BTB said:

You really believe if an NFL exec, or someone paid to investigate potential draftees, would find out there was something in his past, but then not take the time to dig a little deeper?  Seriously?

 

Reportedly, in this case the execs in question were not in the market for a punter, so it was not of interest to them to investigate further.

[LabattBlue]

Just now, UKBillFan said:

 

Reportedly, in this case the execs in question were not in the market for a punter, so it was not of interest to them to investigate further.

If not in the market for a punter, then why would a team investigate him in the first place?  

[NastyNateSoldiers]

I believe the whole NFL knew about the accusations. That explains why Araiza was the 3rd or 4th punter taken in the draft. The only blemish he had on the field was holding and that’s something he could learn 

[UKBillFan]

Just now, BTB said:

If not in the market for a punter, then why would a team investigate him in the first place?  

 

I don't think they were investigating him at all.

As said somewhere before, different teams have different sources - college coaches and coordinators who have links to franchises. When looking at SD players something may have been mentioned in passing to a trusted source which they quickly moved on from.

All speculation, and I'm just trying to put two and two together of the back of Wawrow's report as that's what he said - two franchises knew of an incident but were not in the market for a punter.

[C.Biscuit97]

20 minutes ago, NastyNateSoldiers said:

Gang rape? So he’s guilty then ? Where’s the police where’s the facts ? I think that might escape u a little bit . People like u deal in fantasy people like me deal in reality. I know how to be patient and wait for the system to play out. If Araiza is guilty then he deserves prison and much more for that. 
 

But people like u want to just get over with it and not wait for the process to play out . People like u just want to sacrifice peoples lives without any real evidence. 

He had sex with a minor. He admitted that. And that’s the best case scenario. You are doing a lot of victim blaming for a guy who at best case is guilty of statutory rape. But yeah, it’s the liberal media fault! 

[hondo in seattle]

2 hours ago, ScottLaw said:

What is classy about them covering their ass after they clearly knew about the incident and inevitably released him after it became a PR cluster *****?

 

Here's what's classy:  They didn't throw anyone under the bus.  They articulated compassion for all parties.  They were humble and admitted they made mistakes.  They acknowledged how difficult the decision was given they didn't have all the facts.  They seemed genuinely and deeply affected by the events.

 

Contrast this with Jane Doe's attorney, Dan Gilleon, who just keeps throwing grenades everywhere criticizing everyone but his client.  

 

12 minutes ago, NastyNateSoldiers said:

I believe the whole NFL knew about the accusations. That explains why Araiza was the 3rd or 4th punter taken in the draft. The only blemish he had on the field was holding and that’s something he could learn 

 

Not the only blemish.  His poor hang time was also a real concern.  

Edited August 28, 2022 by hondo in seattle

[Wayne Arnold]

16 hours ago, marck said:

Lets take the opportunity to congratulate the Buffalo Bills organization for the way they handled this very difficult issue with Matt Ariaza.

 

Each step was calculated, the response measured and the action swift and deceive.

 

Maybe organizations like the Browns and Dolphins can use this to learn that in player acquisition ethics, integrity and character are far more important then play on the field.

They didn’t handle it perfectly (Haack shouldn’t have been released when he was) but I still give McDermott and Beane credit for what they did. Not an easy situation.

 

Some will still criticize them because that’s what people do. But they displayed both quality leadership and empathy. 

[ganesh]

5 hours ago, Lfod said:

It really wasn't that hard for them to move on from this guy. This guy wasn't face of the franchise huge contract commitment. 

 

Glad everyone's popping that victory champagne but pump the brakes on how big of a deal it really was letting him go. 

 

I think that is how Beane and McDermott should have treated it.  They made it a much bigger deal instead of moving on from it. 

[Mr. WEO]

1 hour ago, mannc said:

Not if he didn’t outright lie about it. Happens all the time.

 

What would be considered an "outright lie" as opposed to a regular straight up type of lie in this case?

 

Also, if her lawyer is manufacturing false evidence and submits it to the court as genuine, he is committing fraud against the court.