Rams' Puka Nacua Raises Eyebrows With Latest Referee Comment

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua has found himself in hot water, making controversial statements regarding how games a refereed at the NFL level during a recent public outing, broadcasted online and shared on social media.

Nacua's words comes less than two days before the Rams play the Seahawks in Seattle.

Nacua's Recent Statement

During a recent guest appearance with streamers Adin Ross and N3ON, Nacua gave his take on the referees in the NFL.

"The refs are the worst," stated Nacua. "... Some of the rules aren't ... These guys want to be ... these guys are lawyers. They want to be on TV too. You don't think he's texting his friends in the group chat like, 'Yo, you guys just saw me on "Sunday Night Football." That wasn't P.I., but I called it.'"

Dec 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) celebrates after defeating the Detroit Lions at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While the NFL has yet to address Nacua's statements, there is a clearly set precedent by the league that public criticisms of referees are not allowed, and thus players are subjected to fines. The league has enforced those fines in the past.

The Rams and the Lions

Nacua's statements comes off the Rams' victory over the Detroit Lions in which many controversial calls were made and were also not addressed.

There are three moments from the game in particular that stand out for a variety of reasons. The first is Colby Parkinson's first touchdown, which has been argued that Parkinson both did not maintain possession of the ball and that even if he did, he was down before crossing the goal line.

The refs reviewed the play and confirmed the touchdown, stating that by the time Parkinson established firm control of the football, he was already in the end zone.

There appeared to be multiple missed defensive pass interference penalties committed on Jameson Williams that went unflagged, while during the closing moments of the game, on fourth and goal from the Rams' four, the referees called pass interference on Emmanuel Forbes when evidence that Forbes committed the penalty remains scarce. Instead of a turnover on downs and thus the end of the game, the Lions scored a touchdown on the following play.

"I'd be interested to see what they saw on the fourth down that they ended up calling the penalty on," stated Rams head coach Sean McVay on the penalty. "I thought [Cornerback Emmanuel] Forbes was in pretty good position. But ultimately, I'm not responsible for making those calls."

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