Puka Nacua learned a valuable lesson this offseason.
On Friday, the Los Angeles Rams and former BYU receiver spoke to the media for the first time following his time in a rehab facility.
“Something that I feel like I’ve learned is, it’s OK to ask for support,” Nacua said, per the Los Angeles Times. “And then to recognize the platform that I have in being a professional football player, and trying to use that for the betterment of myself and for those around me.”
In early March, Nacua “voluntarily entered a holistic care facility to focus on his personal growth,” according to a statement from his agent Levi McCathern to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport.
Nacua said Friday that the support from his “inner circle” helped him decide to get professional help.
His time in the “holistic care facility” has concluded, but Nacua said he has continued to utilize the lessons and resources he learned during his time there, such a meeting with a team therapist and journaling, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“I like to think of myself as a pretty happy outgoing guy that enjoyed life,” he said. “But there also were some difficulties of just being in this professional sport and just throughout my entire life.”
What Puka Nacua said about his civil lawsuit
The news of Nacua’s rehab broke a week after a Los Angeles woman filed a civil lawsuit alleging that Nacua “forcibly” bit her shoulder and made an “unprovoked antisemitic statement,” according to the court document obtained by ESPN.
Reporters asked Nacua about the allegations in the lawsuit on Friday.
“With it being an ongoing legal battle, out of respect for the other party involved, don’t really have much to speak on,” he said.
The wide receiver later added it was “a moment for me to learn from, kind of some of the situations I was putting myself in, and then also having just an awareness of how I’m conducting myself in and out of this football field.”
Nacua said his off-the-field “mistakes” can serve as a teaching moment for his son, who was born in October, “so there’s an opportunity for him to learn before some of those wrong decisions can be made.”
