Rams make decision on whether star man Puka Nacua will play against the 49ers after turbulent offseason
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay expects the team’s star wide receiver Puka Nacua to play against the San Francisco 49ers next week.
The All-Pro receiver has made significant progress in his return from a core muscle injury incurred three weeks ago and looks likely to line up against the team’s NFC West rivals in Melbourne on Thursday night.
As well as injury concerns, it has been a tumultuous offseason for Nacua that was littered with legal problems. He is still awaiting news on any potential NFL punishment for off-field behavior.
The 25-year-old has been accused of biting a woman on the shoulder and making an ‘unprovoked’ antisemitic statement during a drunken New Year’s Eve encounter in a high-profile civil lawsuit.
NFL Insider Adam Schefter claimed last month that Nacua, who also checked into rehab during the offseason, could face a league suspension over the matter.
Earlier this week, his ex-girlfriend, Hallie Aiono, claimed she experienced ‘extreme betrayal, abuse and complete neglect’ during their relationship after deciding to seek professional help.
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay expects Puka Nacua to play against the 49ers
The All-Pro receiver has made significant progress in his return from a core muscle injury
Nacua and Aiono started dating in 2021 when she was a student at Brigham Young University, where he was a standout football star after transferring from Washington.
She was by his side cheering him on as he burst onto the scene in the NFL as a rookie in 2023, breaking the rookie receiving yards record after being a fifth-round draft pick.
But the couple broke up while she was expecting their first child, becoming involved in a messy paternity situation after she filed a Los Angeles County Superior Court petition in June 2025 to confirm Nacua as the father of their unborn child, request full physical custody, and seek joint legal custody with visitation rights.
She later shared the birth of their son, Kingston, in December 2025 with a picture of Nacua holding her hand then the pair holding their son.
However, Aiono has now offered a concerning reflection on their relationship and her ordeal dating the Rams superstar in a video explaining why she has decided to seek professional help to address her mental health.
‘I went from loving somebody so deeply for four years, I felt it in my bones, to experiencing extreme betrayal, abuse, complete neglect from them, in what felt like it happened almost overnight,’ Aiono said in a TikTok.
‘A lot of the things that were public affected my mental health. But honestly, the things that were happening in private are what completely crushed me and altered my brain chemistry. Those parts, what people never saw, or know of, are what broke me.’
While he has declined to address specifics, Nacua opened up on his journey of self-reflection in May after his time in rehab.
Nacua’s ex Hallie Aiono recently spoke out about the challenges she faced in their relationship
Aiono spoke about her experiences with the Rams star in a TikTok revealing she is seeking help
The talented receiver left himself covered in blood at Michael Rubin’s famous White Party
He revealed it provided ‘a moment for me to learn from 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.’
He also revealed that he has worked with a Rams therapist and attended unspecified weekly meetings in recent months while trying to improve the structure of his day-to-day life.
‘Little did I know that even just writing in a journal, as simple as that, and finding ways to express some of the things I have near and dear to my heart… it’s been a great improvement in my life,’ Nacua said.
‘I’ve been really grateful for the support from the organization, especially my teammates. People reaching out at different times of the offseason, just checking in.
‘Some of the things I feel like I’ve learned is it’s OK to ask for support and then to recognize the platform that I have and being a professional football player and trying to use that for the betterment of myself and for those around me.’
Nacua also revealed he was left covered in blood after running into a glass door at a lavish white party hosted by billionaire Michael Rubin.
The two-time Pro Bowl selection is heading into his fourth season with the Rams in the final year of his rookie contract. He led the NFL with 129 receptions last season and ranked second with 1,715 yards receiving.
