Stephen A. Smith torches Puka Nacua for nursing injury: ‘Get you ass out there’

Stephen A. Smith gave Puka Nacua the Kawhi Leonard treatment, implying the NFL wide receiver is collecting his paycheck while milking an injury from the sideline.

The Los Angeles Rams aren’t exactly in panic mode yet. But more people predicted the Rams might not lose two games all season than predicted they’d lose two of the first three games on their schedule. And on the heels of starting the season 1-2, Stephen A. Smith accused wide receiver Puka Nacua of nursing an injury while he could be helping his team.

“Puka Nacua, you’ve been a distraction off the damn field. We don’t talk about it. We don’t bring it up. But we expect to see you on the field…get your ass back on the damn football field” – Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/9PcewBtas9

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 28, 2026

“There’s only 17 games in the season, my brother. Get your ass out there,” Smith ranted Monday morning on First Take. “Get your ass out there. Last time I see he’s getting a check. They ain’t tell you you gotta be 100%.”

Sunday morning, Adam Schefter reported Nacua was doubtful for the Rams Week 3 game with the Denver Broncos as he recovers from a groin injury. According to Schefter, Nacua can play “functionally,” but the wide receiver hasn’t felt like he could play with his usual explosiveness. Schefter also reported surgery isn’t off the table for Nacua. But Smith didn’t seem to think potential surgery was enough of a reason for Nacua to remain sidelined in their Week 3 loss to Denver.

“Puka Nacua, you’ve been a distraction off the damn field. We don’t talk about it. We don’t bring it up. But we expect to see you on the field. Now you hurt, you hurt. But when you sitting up there and people are saying you can play, but you’re just not 100%. Well, who the hell is 100% on an NFL field after Week 1?” Smith continued. “I don’t know anybody that that’s the case for. Get your ass back on the damn football field. You didn’t sit up there and say, ‘Yo, the check don’t have to come.’ I’m quite sure he checks his bank account, and the check is still there. Get your ass out on the field.”

The “distraction” side of the wide receiver that “we don’t talk about” likely refers to the antisemitic gesture Nacua made on a livestream with internet personality Adin Ross last year, a distraction everyone talked about at the time. Additionally, Nacua faced a civil lawsuit after a woman alleged he made an antisemitic remark and bit her shoulder on New Year’s Eve. Shortly after those allegations broke, Nacua’s attorney said he had already checked into rehab.

Nacua suffered the groin injury during the Rams’ Week 1 loss against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne. The Rams bounced back to win Week 2 without Nacua in what was a dominant effort against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. And as much as having Nacua may have helped the Rams Sunday night against Denver, there really didn’t seem to be much urgency to have him back for Week 3.

Sure, there are only 17 games and every week in the NFL is precious, but you also don’t want to risk rushing a player back too soon and having the groin injury linger all season. Maybe if this were happening later in the season, but Nacua has only missed two weeks with the groin injury. It seems odd to be giving him the “get your ass out there” treatment so soon.