ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills have released punter Matt Araiza two days after a civil lawsuit was filed alleging he and two of his former San Diego State teammates gang raped a minor.

General manager Brandon Beane said Saturday night in a news conference held over two hours after practice ended in the team's fieldhouse that the decision was made to release Araiza earlier that afternoon. However, coach Sean McDermott said that Araiza "seemed to understand, and I think when we spoke again this morning, that he agreed that was probably the best thing."

Araiza was not at practice Saturday after being held out of Friday's preseason game against the Carolina Panthers and was not on the sideline during the game or in the locker room after it concluded. He traveled back to Buffalo, New York, on the team plane.

"With the serious nature and allegations, and we just can't, we don't have the means to put all the facts together," Beane said. "There's multiple versions of what happened, and [McDermott's] a football coach, I'm a GM. We don't have access to everything, and so that's more important than playing football. And so, we want Matt to focus on that."

In a statement released during the game Friday, Araiza said, "The facts of the incident are not what they are portrayed in the lawsuit or in the press. I look forward to quickly setting the record straight."

Beane confirmed that the team got the "boulders" of information from the plaintiff's side when the team's assistant...

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