Los Angeles Rams All-Pro wide receiver Puka Nacua is in a rehabilitation facility and was there before he was sued for assault and battery by a woman who says he made an antisemitic statement and bit her on New Year’s Eve, his attorney Levi McCathern said.
“He was in (rehab) a substantial period of time before any of these allegations broke… and he’s scheduled to be there for a while longer,” McCathern told The California Post. He said Nacua’s decision to enter rehab was not a direct response to the lawsuit filed last month but an effort “to improve his overall behaviour in every aspect of his life.”
The civil lawsuit, filed in March in Los Angeles, also cites gender violence and negligence. Plaintiff Madison Atiabi and her attorney, Joseph Kar, allege Nacua made an antisemitic exclamation that emotionally distressed her during an encounter on New Year’s Eve, and that he bit her and left teeth marks on her shoulder while they were later in a van. Atiabi also alleges Nacua bit a friend’s thumb.
McCathern previously denied that Nacua made any antisemitic statements and described the bites as “horseplay.” Nacua issued an apology in December after making a gesture on a livestream that drew criticism for playing on antisemitic tropes.
Nacua has been one of the NFL’s most productive receivers in his first three seasons with the Rams, who drafted him in the fifth round out of BYU in 2023. He led the league with 129 catches last season and finished with 1,715 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He is eligible to sign a contract extension this offseason.
McCathern said Nacua “will complete the program in plenty of time to be involved in all of the Rams OTAs (organised team activities).” The Rams can begin off-season workouts from April 20, with official training camps starting in July ahead of the September season opener.