Rape Culture in the NFL?

Recently, the Buffalo Bills organization faced heavy scrutiny when their starting punter, Matt Araiza, was faced with civil lawsuit alleging him of gangrape. Araiza, also known as "Punt God" by fans, was the Bills' 6th round draft pick in the recent 2022 NFL draft. He quickly took the league by storm with his extraordinary leg power in his punts. However, his career came to a quick halt when the lawsuit was filed, and he was cut by the team. This is no isolated incident in the NFL regarding rape culture as you only have to go back one year with Deshaun Watson and his own sexual assault allegations in Houston. Araiza's recent allegations continues to grow the public's skepticism on the NFL's stance against sexual assault and domestic violence. 

The Araiza allegations state that him and two other former team members of San Diego State (his alma mater) had gangraped a teenage female at a party. Details of the allegation will not be disclosed as they can be pretty disturbing to some, though they are public if you want to learn more. When the news of this lawsuit broke, many turned to the Bills' organization wondering how could they have not known about this? The organization claimed that they did a thorough investigation into the matter before the draft and did not seem to find anything that would have cautioned them from drafting Araiza. This "thorough" investigation similarly reflects how the NFL handled Deshaun Watsons allegations from just over a year ago. Yet, it wasn't until the public eye got involved that any action was taken. 

As mentioned, these are not isolated incidents in the NFL. There have been numerous players who have been accused sexual assault and domestic violence that are playing today. Deshaun Watson was even given a 230 million dollar-guaranteed contract by the Browns after his allegations. The NFL has repeatedly stated that it is trying to take a strong stance against these acts. Yet, with incidences like these still continuing to occur, people question the legitimacy of that stance. 

Though most of these players are ultimately punished in some way, such as Araiza being cut and Deshaun Watson being suspended (yes, after the 230 million dollar-guaranteed contract), it is the timing in which they are handled that causes the most scrutiny. Most action does not occur until well after the incident and has gone "viral" in some sort. However, is this the NFL being permissive of rape culture or just lack of adequate investigation? Should it be the team's/NFL's responsibility to do in-depth investigative research of each and every one of their players (each of the 32 NFL teams have nearly 70 players on their active roster and practice squad)? There are definitely some logistical complications that come with that kind of work. It is questions like these that will continue to loom over the NFL as the world looks as to what they will do if more of these incidents occur.  

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