Los Angeles Ramsstar wide receiver Puka Nacua entered the NFL as a relatively unknown fifth round pick (and the No. 177 overall selection) of the 2023 NFL Draft, but he quickly emerged into a household name.
The 25-year-old's rise to superstardom was seemingly overnight. Nacua shared in a vulnerable interview with Netflix Sports' Elle Duncan before the 49ers vs. Rams game on Sept. 10 how his life abruptly changed and how he's been adjusting to the life of a star football player in Los Angeles.
Nacua opened up to Duncan, discussing mental health, fatherhood and healthy ways to cope with all the stress he's been under.
"I think I learned that I'm very avoidant of conflict, which is very interesting due to the nature of football. I would like to say I play very physical, just avoidant of the things that I know were causing me stress," Nacua said.
He came on the scene and dominated. Nacua holds NFL records for most receiving yards in a rookie season with 1,486 yards and the most receptions by a rookie in a game with 15. Last season, he led the league with 129 receptions.
In his young career, he's piled up 313 catches, 4,191 yards and 19 receiving touchdowns.
Nacua expressed that his quick ascension in the NFL, and the expectations that follow, were some of the biggest factors in what's been causing him stress.
"Just I think some of the the change in lifestyle that came up to me, becoming a public figure, the stress of performing at a high level, and then I recently I became a father," Nacua said. "My son is is 10 months old, and navigating that co-parenting relationship with his mother, I would kind of isolate myself to feel like the weight of all the issues and things that I have was stuck on my shoulders, and not being willing to ask for help. I was never one to share my fears, my worries. I was always finding different ways to escape, I guess, from that tension or that stress."
Nacua discussed how he turned to alcohol to heavily cope with stress and his emotions. He ultimately sought help, which helped him communicate his feelings of stress.
His reason for wanting to be the best version of himself, he said: his son.
"(It) was definitely a thing for me. Just kind of drowning myself so that the the issues and the the stress that I was feeling never had the opportunity to be addressed," Nacua said. "But right when I entered the rehabilitation center, I was able to have open and honest conversations. I'm looking forward most to becoming a person that I think my son will be proud of."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rams' Puka Nacua opens up about using alcohol to cope with NFL stardom
