Puka Nacua biting and anti-semitism allegations, explained with his surprising defense

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua has been accused of biting a woman and uttering anti-Semitic remarks during a social gathering on New Year’s Eve. The latest incident is being described as a “shakedown,” according to Nacua’s lawyers, speaking to TMZ — but they do acknowledge some truth to the accusations, chalking it up to “horseplay.” It’s the latest in a series of incidents which has put Nacua in the headlines, and there’s a lot to unpack on how we got here.

Nacua was rarely talked about off-field until early December of 2025. It’s at this time he began spending time with podcaster Adin Ross, who has an established history of anti-Semitism. This reached a head on December 16, when video emerged of Nacua laughing with Ross about the possibility of him doing a “covetous Jew” dance when he scored his next touchdown. The Rams’ receiver came under fire for the incident, and apologized later that week — saying that he had no idea what the gesture meant.

“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. 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.”

Nacua has deleted the apology post off his Instagram account. It’s unclear when, or why he erased the message. In the same livestream he also criticized NFL officials, suggested that concussions aren’t real, and blamed Taylor Swift for the Chiefs’ collapse.

What we know about the latest allegation

The alleged victim claims that she and some friends were out with Nacua and others on New Year’s Eve of 2025, partying in Century City, a neighborhood in Los Angeles. The woman claims that the group went out to dinner and Nacua said as part of conversation “f*** all the Jews,” which she claims was distressing, and began an escalating course of rude or vulgar, threatening, violent, and harassing conduct.“

After the meal the group allegedly entered a van where Nacua got “touchy feely” with the women in the party. This progressed to the point where Nacua is accused of biting the alleged victim and her friend.

“[Nacua] dropped his head into [her] girlfriend’s lap and crotch area and bit her thumb so forcefully that she screamed in acute pain” … before turning to her and biting her left shoulder and breaking skin, leaving a circular imprint of his teeth.

The woman then claims she filed a police report the following day, and a mediation conference with Nacua’s lawyers was scheduled for March of this year. In that meeting Nacua’s lawyers say the woman was seeking “millions of dollars in damages,” as well as intentionally exaggerating the incident and threatening to take her story to TMZ.

However, Nacua’s lawyer Levi McCathern acknowledges that his client did bite the woman and leave the mark on her shoulder, but minimized the damage in a statement.

“McCathern says the group was partying, and there was some horseplay … resulting in the bite, which left nothing more than a temporary mark.”

A Los Angeles judge did not grant the alleged victim a temporary restraining order against Nacua, and the incident is set for an April 14 hearing. The Los Angeles Rams have yet to issue a statement on the incident at this time.

It’s the latest in a very weird offseason for the Rams’ receiver

The December 2025 allegations are just that for now, allegations — but it’s the latest in a series of headline-grabbing incidents from the receiver.

In January reports emerged that Samson Nacua, Puka’s brother, was arrested in Los Angeles after it was alleged that he stole a vehicle belonging to Los Angeles Lakers’ forward Adou Thiero. Samson claimed that he thought the car was Puka’s, and Thiero dropped the charges.

In February Nacua tried to shoot his shot with actress Sydney Sweeney, following Sweeney’s interview with Complex. Despite there being no evidence that the two had any contact, Nacua claimed in a video that he was going on a skydiving date with Sweeney This was complicated by the fact that she has a boyfriend and is in a committed relationship. It was later revealed that Nacua lied about the date, and there were never any plans.

On the night of the Super Bowl the Rams’ WR seemingly took a shot at Seahawks QB Sam Darnold by tweeting his name and a laughing emoji after a bad play by Darnold. Nacua attempted to deflect, claiming he was only reacting to Darnold tripping while trying to take a knee — but the timeline of Nacua’s justification didn’t match up with the game.

Earlier this month a seemingly intoxicated Nacua was seen jumping up and down in the front row of a UFC fight, once again garnering attention.

During this same three month period the receiver has made headlines by dating various influencers, as well as being spotted with WWE superstar Charlotte Flair.

The only person not making noise is the Rams

The team at the center of all this has curiously been the quietest, which might tell the whole story here. After largely being a silent, on-field worker over the first two years of his career, Nacua got very loud in the third. Even before the emergence of the Ross stream appearance, there were reports that the receiver was rubbing teammates the wrong way with his behavior in the locker room.

When the Seattle Seahawks signed Jaxon Smith-Njigba to his record-breaking receiver contract there was speculation the Rams might not be headed in the same direction with Nacua do to their inaction. This was complicated even further by rumors that the Rams held discussions with the Philadelphia Eagles regarding a potential A.J. Brown trade, which could still be executed after June 1 when Brown’s cap figure drops.

The Rams are typically shrewd when it comes to their contract negotiations, so the decision not to sign Nacua to an extension speaks volumes — especially because this is the final year on his rookie contract. There is no fifth-year option on his deal with Nacua being a fifth-round pick, which means the Rams will either tag him following the 2026 season, or let him test free agency.

Speculation about Nacua is compounded by rumors that the Rams are looking to add an offensive weapon with the 13th pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Initially this was speculated to be a tight end like Kenyon Sadiq, though seemingly the Rams might be looking at wide receiver instead.

There’s a lot of swirling speculation and allegations right now, but there is one objective truth: If the Rams were completely sold on Puka Nacua as their future they would have signed him to a long-term deal before Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The more offseason headlines that Nacua makes, the more unlikely that Los Angeles will feel safe giving him franchise cornerstone money.