Puka Nacua has a lot of people in his corner, from Cooper Kupp to Sean McVay. Amid all his off-field drama, former NFL wideout T.J. Houshmandzadeh has also kept in touch with Nacua as a mentor.
On Wednesday night, after news broke of Nacua checking into rehab last month, Houshmandzadeh spoke about that decision and praised the Rams receiver for taking responsibility. Houshmandzadeh has been close with Nacua for years, dating back to his college days, and he was already aware that Nacua checked into rehab.
When Nacua told him about checking into rehab, Houshmandzadeh said, “Good, it’s about time.”
“Called me, told me, and I told him, ‘That’s good. If you need something, let me know,’” Houshmandzadeh said on “Speakeasy” Wednesday. “We communicate and so when he told me this, I was like, ‘Good, it’s about time. Just make sure when you’re in there, you’re making the most of it. Don’t just be in there to be in there. Make sure you’re a better Puka when you come out.’
“Puka is, he’s not a good person, he’s a great person. All he wants to do is laugh, smile and have fun. And I just think everything that came at him in such a short period of time – because when you say ‘Puka,’ everybody knows who you’re talking about how – that you’ve just got to step away.”
Nacua said in 2023 that he trained with Houshmandzadeh before the draft, praising the former Bengals wide receiver as someone who has helped him along the way. They remain close to this day, as Houshmandzadeh said, communicating frequently.
“T.J. is the best,” Nacua told Rams Wire in 2023. “Having a guy who played in the league for 10-plus years, who has the knowledge he has and who had such a good routine planned out. He’s the absolute best.”
Nacua’s attorney said Puka has been in rehab for some time, and plans to be there for a while longer. However, he fully expects Nacua to finish the program in plenty of time to attend all of the Rams’ OTAs this spring, which start in a matter of weeks.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: T.J. Houshmandzadeh is glad Puka Nacua sought help in rehab
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
