Puka Nacua Goes From Lovable Overachiever To Online Villian Bent On Destroying NFL Officials

Yes, Puka Nacua is a great football player, and he proved that again during the Los Angeles Rams overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks. But he's apparently not the brightest guy in the world, and he proved that the rest of the time he wasn't on the football field.

Nacua, you'll recall, spent part of Thursday afternoon pleading ignorance and apologizing for offending folks after he appeared on a livestream and followed the lead of a controversial online influencer who convinced him to replicate a touchdown celebration dance that included some stereotypical antisemitic tropes.

Nacua drew the ire of the NFL and politicians, then got a talking-to from Rams head coach Sean McVay, all of which led to him issuing his apology.

Well, Nacua also used the livestream to rip NFL officials and their work. And he didn't apologize for that. 

Screenshot of since-deleted Puka Nacua post on X criticizing NFL officiating

(X)

Nacua Doubles Down On Criticizing Officials

In fact, he doubled down about two minutes after Thursday's game.

After the Seahawks victory, an obviously heated Nacua, still in his uniform, got on X (formerly Twitter) and ripped the officials for their call on a controversial two-point play that helped the Seahawks tie the game with under three minutes to play and send it into overtime.

"Can you say I was wrong," Nacua posted from the losing locker room. "Appreciate you stripes for your contribution. lol."

The first part of that was a clear reference to his comments about the officials on the livestream. The "contribution" part was about the two-point play by Seattle which initially was called an incomplete pass, then reviewed, then changed to a successful tying conversion.

Officials ruled Sam Darnold threw a backward pass rather than an incomplete pass. So when running back Zach Charbonnet casually picked up the loose football in the end zone, he wasn't just tidying up the field, but rather scoring on a two-yard run.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 18: Puka Nacua #12 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates after scoring a touchdown during overtime against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on December 18, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)

Nacua Deletes X Post

Well, someone either got to Nacua or he regained his senses and deleted the post minutes later. But, well, the internet is forever, folks. 

"Just a moment of frustration," Nacua told reporters of his impromptu post. "After a tough, intense game like that, just thinking of the opportunities I could have done better to take it out of their (the officials) hands…."

That deleted post will be one hundred percent seen by the NFL office in New York. And the post will be weighed along with Nacua's comments on the livestream about officiating, for which he did not apologize:

"The refs are the worst," Nacua said on the livestream with youtuber Adin Ross. "... Some of the rules aren't ... These guys want to be ... these guys are lawyers. They want to be on TV, too. You don't think he's texting his friends in the group chat like, ‘Yo, you guys just saw me on ’Sunday Night Football.' That wasn't P.I., but I called it.' "

And what we've seen in the span of about three days is Nacua go from a lovable overachiever who became a star after being drafted in the fifth round, to a freaking villain bent on the destruction of NFL officiating.

NFL Fine Awaits Nacua

And if that trip took a little antisemitic detour, well, apologize for one and double down on the other.

The NFL, by the way, told OutKick on Thursday that the antisemitic issue is closed as far as the league is concerned following Nacua's apology. The league did not say this, but the officiating thing is not closed.

Nacua will almost definitely draw a fine for that stuff.

The thing is Nacua is a great player. Did I mention he caught 12 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns against the Seahawks? The problem is he's great on the field but has to grow up off the field.

The off-the-field stuff leaked into McVay's postgame presser after this loss when the coach actually found out from reporters that Nacua had been on X ripping the officiating. 

Dec 18, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA;  Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay speaks in a press conference after a game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

McVay Clearly Agitated Postgame

 "I can't answer questions about something that I'm not aware of," a clearly agitated McVay said. "I got to add more information before I answer any of those kinds of questions."

McVay did disclose he spoke with Nacua.

"Yeah, he was very apologetic," McVay said. "I don't think he understood the totality of some of the things. I know this guy's heart. And for anybody that was offended, then terribly sorry about that. I know he feels that same exact way. He's a young guy, that's a great kid, that's continuing to learn about, you know, just the platform that he has."

McVay, by the way, wasn't happy with the two-point call, either. But he drew a line between not agreeing and criticizing the officiating – a line Nacua obviously crossed.

"Yeah, we don't want to do that," McVay said.  "It's going to get fixed. Trust me on that. He's responsible, he's respectful, and I'm going to continue to help him grow, and I'm with him every step of the way."