Puka Nacua In Hot Water Again But Not Over Antisemitic Gesture
Hours before his Los Angeles Rams took the field against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football with the NFC West crown on the line, Puka Nacua apologized for an antisemitic gesture he performed on a popular livestream.
Then, within minutes of the Rams losing in overtime in an instant classic in Seattle, Nacua again got himself in trouble after letting off steam on social media.
Nacua had an explosive night for the Rams with 12 catches for 225 yards and two touchdowns. But there was no reason for him to celebrate after the Rams squandered a 16-point lead to lose in overtime.
Amazingly, Seattle was 0-172 all-time when trailing by 15 or more points in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks trailed by 16 in the fourth quarter before forcing overtime and winning on a gutsy 2-point conversion to walk off what's easily an instant classic that also helped Seattle clinch a playoff spot. The Seahawks are now closer to winning the NFC West and are in the driver's seat to be the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
What Did Puka Nacua Do?
None of that sat well with Nacua, who immediately, after the game, took to X and blasted the referees.
Uh Oh: Rams HC Sean McVay found out about Puka Nacua’s tweet about the refs in his postgame press conference…
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 19, 2025
McVay looks extremely upset ???? https://t.co/qJOybNKD9T pic.twitter.com/SMXt9fjr41
"Can you say i was wrong. Appreciate you stripes for your contribution. Lol" Nacua tweeted.
This also didn't appear to sit well with Rams coach Sean McVay, who found out about Nacua's tweet during his postgame press conference. He was visibly confused and later upset at the line of questions, which included being asked if the team was perhaps distracted after Nacua's controversial livestream appearance with the polarizing streamer Adin Ross.
"What are you talking about?" McVay asked for comment after Nacua criticized officials after the game.
"So, what are you asking me right now?" he continued. "I can't answer questions about something that I'm not aware of. I have to have more information before I answer any of those kinds of questions."
Nacua's Appearance With Adin Ross
Nacua appeared on Ross' livestream on Thursday. In that livestream, Nacua promised to do a celebration dance that mimics an antisemitic caricature of a Jewish person.
Nacua flexed before performing the gesture, which is full of Jewish stereotypes. The move drew outrage, including from U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, who called Nacua an "a--hole."
The Los Angeles Jewish community is on edge after the Bondi Beach massacre. And what does this asshole @AsapPuka do? He promises an antisemitic touchdown dance for his Thursday night game. He should apologize or be dropped. https://t.co/J6TTJfxFOh
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) December 18, 2025
Hours before the game, Nacua apologized.
"When I appeared the other day on a social media livestream, it was suggested to me to perform a specific movement as part of my next touchdown celebration. At the time, I had no idea this act was antisemitic in nature and perpetuated harmful stereotypes against Jewish people," he said. "I deeply apologize to anyone who was offended by my actions as I do not stand for any form of racism, bigotry or hate of another group of people."
In the same livestream, Nacua stated that NFL referees intentionally make mistakes to get on TV more often.
No word yet if Nacua will be punished for that statement and the postgame tweet he has since deleted.