Why NFL won't suspend Matt Araiza for alleged rape, Aaron Donald for helmet swing in brawl

CONTENT WARNING: This story contains details of allegations that some people may find distressing. It may not be suitable for all readers.

The Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams open the NFL regular season against each other on Thursday Night Football. Will Bills rookie punter Matt Araiza and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald play in it?

It's largely up to the organizations, not the NFL.

On the same day The Los Angeles Times reported Araiza was accused of raping a 17-year-old girl in a civil lawsuit, Donald was caught on video hurling a helmet in a joint-practice melee with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Donald's actions are ignominious. Araiza's, if true, are reprehensible. San Diego police turned in its evidence to the county district attorney's office to decide whether to file charges, according to the Times.

Whether either player should be punished given the current information available is a matter of opinion. But can the NFL punish either player?

Matt Araiza rape allegation

Can Matt Araiza be suspended for rape allegation?

A lawsuit says the alleged rape took place in October 2021, during Araiza's senior season at San Diego State. The Bills selected Araiza in the sixth-round of the NFL draft on April 30, 2022.

“Because the alleged rape happened before Araiza was drafted, he would not be subject to the league's personal conduct policy," ESPN reported.

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When did the Buffalo Bills find out about the complaint against Araiza?

The Bills released a statement saying the organization learned in late July of a potential civil suit. That doesn't mean the franchise wasn't aware of the incident before that. It just means it was informed last month a lawsuit may be coming.

"We were recently made aware of a civil complaint involving Matt from October 2021," the Bills said. "Due to the serious nature of the complaint, we conducted a thorough examination of this matter. As this is an ongoing civil case, we will have no other comment at this point.”

Buffalo knew about the accusation when it released punter Matt Haack on Monday, giving the starting job to Araiza.

NFL teams conduct extensive background inquiries and interviews about players prior to the draft. Araiza, nicknamed "Punt God", won the Ray Guy Award for the top college football punter and broke the NCAA record with a 51.2 punt average. He was widely regarded as the top punter prospect in the draft but two other punters were selected ahead of him. Araiza had an 82-yard punt in his first preseason game earlier this month.

What does the Matt Araiza lawsuit allege?

Araiza and two current San Diego State football players are accused of gang raping a 17-year-old girl at an off-campus party. The lawsuit alleges Araiza knew the girl was a high school student when he told her to perform oral sex and had sex with her. Araiza is then accused of taking her to a bedroom where she was allegedly raped by Araiza and the other man. According to the complaint, the girl “stumbled out of the room bloody and crying. Her nose, bellybutton, and ear piercings had been pulled out, and she was also bleeding from her vagina.”

The lawsuit says she told her friend she was raped. She went to the San Diego police department the next day and underwent a rape exam at the hospital.

Detectives set up recorded calls between the girl and the men accused, the lawsuit says, and Araiza confirmed on a call that they had sex and suggested she get tested for a sexually transmitted disease.

The Times reported: "Later in the conversation, she asked him, 'And did we have actual sex?' Araiza allegedly changed his tone and replied, 'This is Matt Araiza. I don’t remember anything that happened that night.'"

No arrests have been made.

What does Araiza's lawyer say?

Kerry Armstrong, Araiza's lawyer, called the allegation false and said witnesses at the party contradict the account of the girl.

"It's a shakedown because he's now with the Buffalo Bills," Armstrong told The Los Angeles Times. “There is no doubt in my mind that Matt Araiza ever raped that girl.”

Armstrong released a statement on Thursday evening saying he believes "it's a cash grab by this young lady."

Has a player been disciplined before playing an NFL game?

Yes. There is precedent for a player to be punished by the NFL before stepping onto the field. Then Los Angeles Raiders rookie quarterback Terrelle Pryor was suspended for five games by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell prior to the 2011 season. Pryor traded memorabilia for free tattoos at a tattoo parlor while at Ohio State.

That was under the 2011 collective bargaining agreement. A new CBA was ratified in 2020.

Aaron Donald fight

What happened in the Rams-Bengals joint-practice?

A brawl ended an intersquad practice between the Rams and Bengals on Thursday. Punches were thrown by Bengals tackle La'el Collins and a video on Twitter appeared to show Donald swinging a helmet at players before he was knocked down in the scrum.

The Bengals left the practice field after the fight.

Rams coach Sean McVay downplayed the brouhaha and said his biggest concern was preventing unnecessary injuries. Bengals coach Zac Taylor said "got a little scuffley."

Can Aaron Donald be suspended for using a helmet as a weapon?

The NFL doesn't have the authority to levy punishment related to practices so it can't suspend Donald for his actions. Teams are responsible for monitoring their players' actions during practices, which means the Rams would have to discipline the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

What about the NFL's personal conduct policy?

The NFL could attempt to punish Donald through the personal conduct policy, which states everyone part of the league "must refrain from conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in” the NFL.

A list of more than a dozen examples of prohibited conduct includes "violent or threatening behavior toward another employee or a third party in any workplacesetting."

Myles Garrett was suspended for hitting an opponent with a helmet in 2019

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett was suspended indefinitely under the personal conduct policy after a fight with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph during a game in Week 11 of 2019. Garrett ripped off Rudolph's helmet during an altercation and then struck Rudolph in the head with it. Garrett sat out the final six games of the 2019 season, was reinstated in February 2020 and signed a five-year, $125 million contract extension in July 2020.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Here's why Matt Araiza and Aaron Donald won't be suspended by NFL