Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua told Netflix that "alcohol was definitely a thing" for him as he dealt with off-the-field stresses that included a rapid rise to NFL stardom and the birth of his son.
In an interview with Netflix's Elle Duncan that aired ahead of Thursday night's 49ers-Rams game in Melbourne, Australia, Nacua opened up about issues that eventually led him to check into rehab in March.
Nacua, who went from a fifth-round pick out of BYU in 2023 to leading the NFL in receptions just two years later, said the stresses of becoming a public figure, performing at a high level and co-parenting with the mother of his young son were difficult to deal with.
"I was never one to share my fears, my worries," Nacua, 25, told Duncan. "I was always finding different ways to escape from that tension, that stress.
"I think one, alcohol was definitely a thing for me. Just kind of drowning myself so that the issues and the stress that I was feeling never had the opportunity to be addressed."
Nacua has been at the center of a series of off-the-field issues in recent months. In December, he apologized for performing a gesture on an internet livestream that was "antisemitic in nature and perpetuated harmful stereotypes against Jewish people." In March, a still-pending lawsuit was filed against him that alleged he made an "unprovoked antisemitic statement" toward a woman and later bit her on the shoulder.
Though Nacua played in Thursday's opener, he still could face NFL discipline later this season.
Despite that, he told Netflix he's in a better place due to his trip to rehab.
"I was able to have open and honest conversations," he told Duncan.
Nacua added that he sees brighter days ahead after the "darkest times I've had in my life."
"I'm looking forward most to becoming a person that I think my son will be proud of ... and as my son gets older, I can share some of the things that I've learned from the mistakes I've made," he said.
