Puka Nacua goes from one faux pas to the next. It’s time for the Los Angeles Rams to muzzle their star. A comment.
by Kai Esser
It was an almost absurd box score for Puka Nacua against a very strong Seattle Seahawks defense.
12 catches, 225 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns. The Los Angeles Rams’ top receiver delivered again in the 37:38 defeat.
Off the field, however, the 24-year-old remains a problem child: after the game, he publicly attacked the referees. Probably because the Seahawks were awarded a (legitimate) pass interference flag on the final drive of the game. “Thanks for your share, Refs. Lol,” said a now-deleted “X” post from the receiver.
NFL: Puka Nacua with anti-Semitic gesture
Previously, Nacua appeared on a livestream from streamers Adin Ross and N3on, in which he accused referees of only throwing flags so they could show off to friends. In the same stream he also made an anti-Semitic gesture.
And that’s not all. Just a few days earlier, he had also started a live stream from the Rams locker room, which is strictly forbidden.
This must definitely come to an end!
Causa Nacua: Coach McVay has to intervene
With these missteps, Nacua puts its franchise in a bad light. Of course, he later apologized for his gesture and quickly deleted the post.
However, the extent to which he actually shows remorse or whether there was an announcement from one of his superiors is and remains speculation.
The Rams need to take some form of preventive action because such a well-run franchise cannot afford such bad publicity. It also doesn’t fit with the clean slate of head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford, who have been scandal-free in their careers so far.
Puka Nacua puts the Los Angeles Rams’ playoff success at risk
Such poorly thought-out behavior is not only harmful to external image, but can also affect sporting goals.
Precisely because the Rams are otherwise such a harmonious and calm team, teammates could be annoyed or even angry by Nacua’s failures. It is also doubtful whether the Rams’ PR team approved the appearance of the highly controversial streamer Adin Ross on the even more controversial “Kick” platform in this form.
What was also not approved was that Nacua wanted to bring both streamers into the team facilities. He claimed that his people had been in contact with the team. But this apparently didn’t happen and Coach McVay intervened when he got wind of the action, according to “USA Today”.
In order not to jeopardize success in the playoffs, for which the Rams have already safely qualified, they have to muzzle their star receiver. No postings, no public appearances, just game analysis and football. That has to be the motto.
The fact that a season is put in jeopardy because a player fails to think before he speaks or posts is something that no one in Los Angeles can use in an MVP season from quarterback Stafford.
