Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua criticized NFL referees during an online live stream.
Nacua suggested officials make calls for attention and want to be on television.
Nacua also discussed a canceled visit to the Rams’ facility by streamers Adin Ross and N3on.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua called out NFL referees in an online live stream.
“The refs are the worst … these guys wanna be – these guys are lawyers,” Nacua said alongside streamers Adin Ross and N3on. “They want to be on TV, too. You don’t think he’s texting his friends in the group chat like, ‘Yo, you just saw me on “Sunday Night Football?” Like, ‘that wasn’t PI (pass interference), but I called it.’
“These guys are normal human beings too.”
A player slandering NFL officiating that explicitly typically receives a fine. Nacua and the Rams are playing “Thursday Night Football” against the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 18, when he’ll presumably address the remarks.
The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the NFL Referees’ Association (NFLRA) is set to expire May 31, and according to a league memo distributed to teams and obtained by several outlets, the NFL is pushing for a performance-based model as it continues negotiations ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
The memo also explained that the NFL has ‘engaged in bargaining with the NFLRA to extend the current agreement since the summer of 2024, and to date, those discussions have been unsuccessful.’
“I thought my team communicated. I guess there was no communication,” Nacua told the pair via phone on the live stream. “Especially then, when Coach found out, he didn’t (expletive) with that. Just because of the short week. Let me handle business on Thursday, then we should be good.”
Nacua ranks second this season in both catches (102) and receiving yards (1,367).