SEATTLE — In the minutes after the Rams’ 38-37 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night, Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua took to X (formerly Twitter) to lambast the officiating in the game, doubling down on the criticism he made about officials on a controversial live stream this we ek. “Can you say i [sic] was wrong. Appreciate you stripes for your contribution,” Nacua wrote on X before later deleting the post. In an appearance on a livestream hosted by internet personalities Adin Ross and N3on this week, Nacua criticized NFL officials, saying that, “The refs are the worst. 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 just saw me on Sunday Night Football. That wasn’t PI but I called it.’” Speaking with reporters after the game, Nacua said he was referring to a controversial two-point conversion call as well as a few other plays that went against the Rams on Thursday. “Just a moment of frustration,” Nacua said of his social media post after the game. “After a tough, intense game like that, just thinking of the opportunities I could have done better to take it out of their hands. Just a moment of frustration.” Head coach Sean McVay said during his postgame press conference that he does not want players criticizing the officials, but that he had not seen Nacua’s post prior to arriving for his comments with reporters. Nacua said in the postgame locker room that he did not believe his comments on the live stream saying that officials only make penalty calls to be on television. “No, I don’t, it was just a lack of awareness and just some frustration,” Nacua said. “I know there are moments where I feel like, man, you watch the other games and you think of the calls that some guys get and you wish you could get some of those. But that’s just how football is played and I’ll do my job in order to work my technique to make sure that there’s not an issue with a call.” On the same live stream, Nacua did a dance at the urging of Ross that portrayed a stereotype about Jewish people and promised Ross he would do the dance following his next touchdown reception. Prior to the game, Nacua issued an apology for those actions in a post on Instagram. He did not perform the dance following either of his two touchdown catches on Thursday. “When I appeared the other day on a social media livestream, it was suggested to me to perform a specific movement as part of my next touchdown celebration. At the time, I had no idea this act was antisemitic in nature and perpetuated harmful stereotypes against Jewish people,” Nacua wrote in the statement. “I deeply apologize to anyone who was offended by my actions as I do not stand for any form of racism, bigotry or hate of another group of people.” The Rams also released a statement on Thursday, stating, “There is no place in this world for Antisemitism as well as other forms of prejudice or hostility towards the Jewish people and people of any religion, ethnicity, or race.” Nacua had invited the streamers to the Rams’ practice facility on Tuesday, and Nacua is heard on the video telling them that the organization had denied them entry. Speaking after the game, McVay said he was unaware that the streamers had been on the Rams’ premises, but said he had spoken with Nacua and believed he was genuinely contrite for his actions. “He was very apologetic. I don’t think he understood the totality of some of the things,” McVay said. “I know this guy’s heart and for anybody that was offended, terribly sorry about that. I know he feels that same exact way. He’s a young guy that’s a great kid that’s continuing to learn about just the platform that he has. I love him. We’re going to continue to put our arm around him and help him learn and grow.” McVay also said that Nacua’s actions were not a distraction for the Rams, noting the receiver’s 225-yard performance. “It’s going to get fixed, trust me on that,” McVay said of Nacua’s behavior. “He’s responsible, he’s respectful and I’m going to continue to help him grow. And I’m with him every step of the way.” Nacua said he had learned that he should save certain comments for conversations with his teammates, and that he should better use his time during the week to prepare for games. “Coach has just echoed that he’s always in continuous support of me, disappointed in some of the actions that are just distracting my teammates and it’s something that I know I’ll learn from and something I don’t want to be a distraction in any week and especially a short week,” Nacua said. “So we had talked about that and he’s right there behind me.” The third-year receiver is eligible for a contract extension following this season. Given his production – Nacua reached 114 receptions for 1,592 yards and eight touchdowns with his performance Thursday – he could stand to reset the receiver market. Asked if he worried his actions could give the Rams pause before extending him, Nacua said, “I try to do my best to continue to prepare and to help my teammates perform on the days that we’re needed. And that’s something I know I can continually do to show that to our organization.” Related Articles Rams lose to Seahawks in OT thriller, fall out of 1st place in NFC West The Audible: Puka Nacua is a news cycle all by himself Rams at Seattle Seahawks: Who has the edge? Rams’ Sean McVay dealing with unique challenge ahead of Seahawks game Rams not ruling out WR Davante Adams for Seahawks game ...read more read less