‘Alcohol was definitely a thing’: Rams star Puka Nacua opens up on what he went through with NFL life

Puka Nacua has opened up about his struggles with alcohol, therapy and rehabilitation ahead of the Los Angeles Rams‘ season opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne.

Speaking to Netflix’s Elle Duncan, Nacua admitted he had used alcohol to escape the pressure building around him as his NFL career took off.

Nacua’s rise has been remarkably quick. The former fifth-round pick became a star almost immediately, while last season he led the NFL with 129 receptions and finished with 1,715 receiving yards.

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Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

The Rams receiver said becoming a public figure, maintaining a high level of performance and becoming a father all contributed to the stress he was carrying.

“Alcohol was definitely a thing for me,” Nacua said. “Just, kind of, drowning myself so that the issues and the stress that I was feeling never had the opportunity to be addressed.”

Nacua also explained that therapy helped him recognise how he dealt with difficult situations.

“I learned that I am very avoidant of conflict and avoidant of the things that were causing me stress,” he said.

Rather than speaking about his worries, Nacua said he would isolate himself and look for ways to escape the pressure.

“I was never one to share my fears and my worries,” he said. “I was always finding different ways to escape from that tension and that stress.”

That eventually led Nacua to enter a rehabilitation centre, where he said he was able to have more open conversations about what he had been experiencing.

“When I entered the rehabilitation center, I was able to have open and honest conversations,” Nacua said.

“These are the darkest times that I’ve had in my life,”

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Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images

Nacua’s focus now appears to be on becoming a better version of himself, particularly for his 10-month-old son, Kingston.

“I want to be able to go to any environment that he might be a part of and have him say: ‘This is my dad.'”

Nacua still has to deal with the off-field issues that have followed him into the new season and could face NFL discipline later. For now, though, he has spoken openly about the steps he has taken while preparing for another major season with the Rams.