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Puka Nacua has found himself in some hot water again after allegations were made against him that he bit a woman and made an antisemitic remark while out on New Year’s Eve this past December. A temporary restraining order was filed against him, and subsequently denied by a judge, but Nacua is now being sued by the woman.
His attorney says Nacua strongly denies the allegations and will be suing for defamation, but the situation is hardly settled.
Former NFL wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh is close with Nacua and he reached out to the Los Angeles Rams star after news of this incident came to light. He’s attempting to help Nacua out, sharing some advice for him so that he stays on the right path.
“I texted him, been trying to get him on the phone because I talk to him like he’s my son. I don’t talk to him like, ‘Hey, bro.’ I’m going to give it to him the real and raw way because you’ve got to hear these words,” Houshmandzadeh said on “Speakeasy.”
Houshmandzadeh told Nacua that every time he goes out, he should pay $1,000 for security, just to be safe.
“I told him, I said, ‘Puka, when you go out, you probably don’t feel like you need this. Bro, just go ahead and spend that thousand dollars every time you step out into these streets and get security. Just pay it because now, you’re going to spend $100K on an attorney. That’s a hundred nights out right there. So just get security to avoid all these situations.’ Hopefully, he’ll start to listen to me,” he said.
Houshmandzadeh has been in Nacua’s corner since before he was drafted. Nacua said back in 2023 that he trained with him before the draft, calling the former Bengals receiver “the absolute best.”
“T.J. is the best,” Nacua told Rams Wire. “Having a guy who played in the league for 10-plus years, who has the knowledge he has and who had such a good routine planned out. He’s the absolute best.”
Houshmandzadeh knows Nacua well and strongly believes he didn’t make the antisemitic comment that he’s accused of saying.
“I know Puka. He ain’t say that. That ain’t Puka,” he said. “Anybody that knows Puka, all he wants to do is have fun. And that’s the problem is, all he wants to do is have fun.”
Houshmandzadeh tried to get Nacua to come on the show with him and former NFL defender Emmanuel Acho, but Nacua declined.
“All the dude wants to do is laugh, bro, and just joke around and have (fun). That’s it. That’s all he wants to do,” he said. “But, he’s going to have to realize – because I sent him a message and I swear he read that thing in probably about 5 seconds. Tried to get him on here and he was like, ‘Ahhh.’ But he has a lot of people in his corner. At some point, though, the Rams can only take so much. The league. Like, Puka can be the face of the league if he gets his stuff together.”
Nacua is up for an extension this offseason, the first time he’s been eligible for a lucrative new deal. The Rams are expected to reward him with a massive contract that could make him the highest-paid receiver in NFL history, but will these off-field antics give them pause.
Between his comments and controversial gesture on a livestream last December, to this latest incident on New Year’s Eve, it’s possible the Rams will want to see him clean up his act before committing to him long-term.
Houshmandzadeh thinks that if the Rams take a receiver at No. 13, which is certainly on the table, they may not pay Nacua.
“If they draft a receiver in the first round, I don’t know if they sign Puka to an extension. I’m telling you. Franchise him not this upcoming season, the following season, and trade him. Let them draft a receiver in the first round and this receiver shows them he can do what Puka was doing, even if it ain’t that level, if it’s close enough.”
That’s a bold statement by Houshmandzadeh, but there’s no question Nacua has some growing up to do off the field. As fun-loving and joyous as he is, it does seem there might be a slight lack of maturity from the 24-year-old receiver.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Puka Nacua got advice from T.J. Houshmandzadeh amid off-field incident
Continue reading...
His attorney says Nacua strongly denies the allegations and will be suing for defamation, but the situation is hardly settled.
Former NFL wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh is close with Nacua and he reached out to the Los Angeles Rams star after news of this incident came to light. He’s attempting to help Nacua out, sharing some advice for him so that he stays on the right path.
“I texted him, been trying to get him on the phone because I talk to him like he’s my son. I don’t talk to him like, ‘Hey, bro.’ I’m going to give it to him the real and raw way because you’ve got to hear these words,” Houshmandzadeh said on “Speakeasy.”
Houshmandzadeh told Nacua that every time he goes out, he should pay $1,000 for security, just to be safe.
“I told him, I said, ‘Puka, when you go out, you probably don’t feel like you need this. Bro, just go ahead and spend that thousand dollars every time you step out into these streets and get security. Just pay it because now, you’re going to spend $100K on an attorney. That’s a hundred nights out right there. So just get security to avoid all these situations.’ Hopefully, he’ll start to listen to me,” he said.
Houshmandzadeh has been in Nacua’s corner since before he was drafted. Nacua said back in 2023 that he trained with him before the draft, calling the former Bengals receiver “the absolute best.”
“T.J. is the best,” Nacua told Rams Wire. “Having a guy who played in the league for 10-plus years, who has the knowledge he has and who had such a good routine planned out. He’s the absolute best.”
Houshmandzadeh knows Nacua well and strongly believes he didn’t make the antisemitic comment that he’s accused of saying.
“I know Puka. He ain’t say that. That ain’t Puka,” he said. “Anybody that knows Puka, all he wants to do is have fun. And that’s the problem is, all he wants to do is have fun.”
Houshmandzadeh tried to get Nacua to come on the show with him and former NFL defender Emmanuel Acho, but Nacua declined.
“All the dude wants to do is laugh, bro, and just joke around and have (fun). That’s it. That’s all he wants to do,” he said. “But, he’s going to have to realize – because I sent him a message and I swear he read that thing in probably about 5 seconds. Tried to get him on here and he was like, ‘Ahhh.’ But he has a lot of people in his corner. At some point, though, the Rams can only take so much. The league. Like, Puka can be the face of the league if he gets his stuff together.”
Nacua is up for an extension this offseason, the first time he’s been eligible for a lucrative new deal. The Rams are expected to reward him with a massive contract that could make him the highest-paid receiver in NFL history, but will these off-field antics give them pause.
Between his comments and controversial gesture on a livestream last December, to this latest incident on New Year’s Eve, it’s possible the Rams will want to see him clean up his act before committing to him long-term.
Houshmandzadeh thinks that if the Rams take a receiver at No. 13, which is certainly on the table, they may not pay Nacua.
“If they draft a receiver in the first round, I don’t know if they sign Puka to an extension. I’m telling you. Franchise him not this upcoming season, the following season, and trade him. Let them draft a receiver in the first round and this receiver shows them he can do what Puka was doing, even if it ain’t that level, if it’s close enough.”
That’s a bold statement by Houshmandzadeh, but there’s no question Nacua has some growing up to do off the field. As fun-loving and joyous as he is, it does seem there might be a slight lack of maturity from the 24-year-old receiver.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Puka Nacua got advice from T.J. Houshmandzadeh amid off-field incident
Continue reading...
