Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is currently in a rehabilitation facility, his attorney has confirmed. The 24-year-old entered rehab before a lawsuit was filed against him by a woman who alleges he made an antisemitic remark and bit her on the shoulder.
Attorney Levi McCathern told The California Post that Nacua was in rehab “a substantial period of time before any of these allegations broke” and is scheduled to remain there for a while longer. McCathern said the decision was not a direct response to the lawsuit but an attempt “to improve his overall behavior in every aspect of his life.”
The lawsuit, filed last month by Madison Atiabi, claims Nacua said “fuck all Jews” during a New Year’s Eve dinner in Los Angeles last year. Atiabi, who is Jewish, said she felt “immediately uncomfortable and emotionally distressed.” The suit also alleges Nacua bit her shoulder, leaving teeth marks, and bit a friend’s thumb “with such force that her companion screamed in acute pain.”
McCathern strongly denied the antisemitic statements, describing the bites as “horseplay.” He added that “multiple sober witnesses have stated unequivocally that Puka never made the comments Ms Atiabi claims.” Nacua previously apologised in December 2023 after performing a gesture playing upon antisemitic tropes during an internet livestream.
Nacua led the NFL with 129 catches last season, amassing 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns, and added 24 catches for 332 yards and two touchdowns in the playoffs. He is eligible for a contract extension this offseason that could make him one of the highest-paid receivers in NFL history, though no progress on a new deal has been announced.
