Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua opened up about his decision to enter rehab in the offseason in an interview with Netflix’s Elle Duncan, saying he learned he was “avoidant of conflict” and previously relied on alcohol as his escape from stress.“I learned I’m very avoidant of conflict, which is very interesting due to the football nature. I’d like to say I play very physical,” Nacua, 25, said in an interview aired before Thursday’s game between the Rams and San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia. “Just avoidant of the things I know were causing me stress.”When Duncan asked what caused his stress, Nacua mentioned a lifestyle change, both under the NFL spotlight and as a new father co-parenting his 10-month-old son.“I would kind of isolate myself to feel like the weight of all the issues and things I had was stuck on my shoulders and not being willing to ask for help,” Nacua said. “I was never one to share my fears or my worries. I was always finding different ways to escape from that tension or that stress.”Can the Super Bowl favorites fix their fatal flaw?Mike SandoNacua paused when asked what he previously used as an escape: “Alcohol was definitely a thing for me,” he said. “Just kind of drowning myself so that the issues and the stress that I was feeling never had the opportunity to be addressed. But right when I entered the rehabilitation center, I was able to have open and honest conversations.”Nacua checked himself into a private facility in April after a series of off-the-field controversies.Last December, just days before the Rams played the biggest game of their regular season against the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, Nacua unsuccessfully attempted to sneak streamers Adin Ross and N3on into the team facility without permission. He then appeared on their live stream after practice, where he accused NFL referees of inventing calls to appear on TV.He also worked on a touchdown dance that carried antisemitic undertones. Nacua released a statement apologizing for the touchdown dance and claimed he did not know it was antisemitic when learning it on the live stream.Nacua then had his best performance of the season with 12 catches for 225 yards and two touchdowns, but the Rams lost 38-37 to the Seahawks in overtime. Moments after the game, Nacua doubled down on his referee criticism in a tweet, for which he was later fined $25,000.A few weeks later, Nacua allegedly bit a woman while intoxicated on New Year’s Eve, leading to a lawsuit he’s battling.At the time he checked into the facility, Nacua’s attorney, Levi McCathern, said in a statement: “Puka takes responsibility for his well-being and increasing his performance during the offseason. … He is committed to using this time constructively so that he can return in the best possible position — both personally and professionally — to continue contributing to his team and the game he loves.“He will complete the program in plenty of time to be involved in all of the Rams’ OTAs. Puka is also deeply grateful for the support he has received from his family, friends, coach (Sean) McVay and his teammates.”Nacua was a clear star on the field at Rams training camp, and in 2026, will look to build off his most successful season — statistically — last year. But regardless, Nacua said what he is most looking forward to now is becoming someone, “I think my son will be proud of.”“These are the darkest times that I’ve had in my life, and as my son gets older, I can share with him some of the things I learned from the mistakes that I’ve made,” Nacua said. “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.’”