Puka Nacua picked a fight with the NFL referees earlier this month, first on Adin Ross’ Kick stream, where he flatly called them “the worst,” and then again after the Los Angeles Rams’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks with a tweet that was quickly deleted. The league responded the way it always does. They fined him $25,000. And now, Nacua sounds like someone who understands exactly what just happened.

“An experience to learn from and, man, never let it happen again,” he said after the fine became public, admitting it was a lesson he won’t forget. “There’s going to be moments of frustration later on in the career … so just being able to manage those emotions and be able to send that energy in the right direction.”

He also acknowledged that the fine stung and that he didn’t see it coming. That part might be true from his side. From the league’s side, it was never in doubt. When an active player goes after officials publicly, especially in the way Nacua did, the response is usually quick. If anything, he probably escaped lightly by avoiding a suspension.

“The refs are the worst. These guys are lawyers, they wanna be on TV too, bro,” Puka Nacua told Adin Ross during a Kick livestream. “You don’t think he is texting his friends in their group chat like, ‘Yo, you guys saw me do that on Sunday Night Football? That wasn’t PI, but I called it.”

That’s not subtle. And it wasn’t the end of it. After the Seahawks game, Nacua fired off a sarcastic tweet aimed directly at the officials before quickly deleting it.

“Can you say I was wrong. Appreciate you stripes for your contribution. Lol,” he tweeted after the loss.

That was bold. What makes all of this tricky is that Nacua has been brilliant on the field. He’s been one of the most productive receivers in football all season, leading the league with 114 catches, sitting second in receiving yards at 1,592, and hauling in eight touchdowns. You can reasonably put his name in the Offensive Player of the Year conversation.

That’s why the league reaction matters. Stars get leeway, but not when it comes to officials. Nacua knows that now. The challenge going forward is channeling it better. And that’s something Matthew Stafford will expect from him moving forward.

Matthew Stafford holds Puka Nacua accountable

Puka Nacua is living the kind of football life most young receivers only imagine. He’s catching passes from a quarterback who is in his 17th season and a future Hall of Famer in Matthew Stafford. That’s not just an opportunity to grow as a player, but to learn how to carry yourself in this league. Stafford weighed in on Nacua’s recent situation, and his tone said a lot.

“He’s obviously never going to be perfect, nobody is,” Stafford said. “We’ve all had things that we wish we had maybe handled a little bit differently, but he’s still our brother. We love him and we’ll continue to support him and try to help him out as best we can.”

The loss to Seattle was frustrating, no doubt. The Rams thought they had a one-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to tight end Terrance Ferguson, only to see it wiped away by a flag on guard Justin Dedich for being an ineligible man downfield. That one hurt. And it wasn’t the first time this season officiating became part of the story, dating back to Weeks 3 and 4.

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But that’s the part players can’t control. Stafford knows that better than anyone. After all these years, he understands the only thing you can really do is line up the next play and keep going. Complaining doesn’t change the outcome. And that’s the lesson he hopes Nacua takes from this.

Nacua’s future is bright. The last thing he needs is to let moments of frustration off the field become a distraction. Stafford believes he’ll learn from this. And judging by the way Nacua has already responded, he probably will.