Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is at the center of a legal storm. A woman has filed a temporary restraining order against the two-time Pro Bowler, alleging he made an antisemitic comment and bit her during a New Year’s Eve gathering in December 2025. The allegations, first reported on Tuesday, have sent shockwaves through the NFL community.
Nacua, 24, denies any wrongdoing. His attorney, Levi G. McCathern, called the accusations “false and damaging” and announced plans to file a defamation lawsuit. A Los Angeles judge has denied the restraining order for now, with a hearing scheduled for April 14.
According to court documents, the accuser, identified as Madison Atiabi, claims the incident began at a dinner in Century City on Dec. 31, 2025. She alleges Nacua said “F all the Jews,” a comment she described as the “first act in what became an escalating course of rude or vulgar, threatening, violent, and harassing conduct”.
Later that night, the group moved to a Sprinter van. Atiabi alleges Nacua became “touchy-feely,” then bit her friend’s thumb “so forcefully that she screamed in acute pain” before turning and biting Atiabi’s left shoulder with enough force to leave a complete circular imprint of his teeth that broke the skin. A photograph of the bite mark was included in the court filing.
McCathern has forcefully rejected the allegations. In a statement, he said the bite was nothing more than “horseplay” among a group of people partying, leaving only a temporary mark. He also claimed a “completely sober witness” has stated unequivocally that Nacua never made the antisemitic comment.
“Let’s be clear about what this case is, and what it is not,” McCathern said. “This matter is not sexual in nature, nor does it involve any allegation of domestic violence. It also doesn’t involve any elements of antisemitism” .
McCathern further alleged that the accuser’s team demanded “millions of dollars” in exchange for not publicizing the allegations, calling it “blackmail” and a “shakedown attempt”. The timing, he noted, came just after Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba signed a record-breaking $168 million contract, a detail he suggested underscores the claim’s lack of credibility.
The allegations arrive just months after Nacua faced backlash for an antisemitic gesture during a December 2025 livestream with Adin Ross. On the stream, Nacua performed a hand-rubbing gesture, a stereotypical sign of greed associated with antisemitic tropes, after being encouraged by the host. He later apologized, saying he had “no idea this act was antisemitic in nature”.
The Rams distanced themselves at the time, issuing a statement that said, “There is no place in this world for antisemitism”.
Nacua is entering the final year of his rookie contract and was expected to be a top priority for a lucrative extension following his record-breaking 2025 season. Legal experts say the allegations, if proven, could trigger the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy and impact his earning potential.
For now, Nacua’s legal team is preparing to fight. A hearing is set for April 14, and a defamation lawsuit is expected to follow. The Rams have declined to comment.
