Chances are, most didn’t have Los Angeles Rams star Puka Nacua as one of the NFL’s best wide receivers when last season kicked off. The former fifth-round pick changed that narrative with a career year.
Just recently, Nacua earned the No. 5 overall spot on Pro Football Network‘s list of the top 100 players. That placed him as the top-ranked receiver in football. He also had an elite player Impact score of 96.3 after recording 1,715 receiving yards and 10 touchdown catches. It doesn’t get much better than that.
While he’s an elite talent on the field, Nacua also was at the center of a wild controversy off the field this offseason.
What We Know About the Photo of Puka Nacua’s Alleged Bite Mark
The NFL has had a lot of crazy storylines this offseason. One of the more peculiar ones was when a woman, Madison Atiabi, accused Nacua of biting her on the shoulder in an incident that occurred on New Year’s Eve, but she didn’t file a lawsuit until the end of March.
Nacua has since denied the accusations through his attorney (who called the act “horseplay”) and even intended to file a defamation lawsuit.
Though the allegations were met initially with backlash by his camp, Nacua later acknowledged biting Atiabi, and it was later revealed that the 25-year-old checked himself into a Los Angeles rehab facility.
Yet, now this story has grown some longer legs. On Tuesday, an unsightly photo of the apparent bite mark emerged, and Nacua is back in hot water all over again.
Upon seeing the photo, many on social media couldn’t help but offer their two cents.
An immediate takeaway was one that many were probably asking themselves, simply “WTF?”
— Nación Patriota (@nacionpatriots) July 21, 2026
One X user even turned to Grok to ask whether the bite was even legitimate or if it could have come from a human.
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“Hey @grok does this look like a natural human bite mark? This is the alleged bite mark on the woman who is accusing Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua of doing this. No way this is legitimate!”
Hey @grok does this look like a natural human bite mark?
This is the alleged bite mark on the woman who is accusing Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua of doing this.
No way this is legitimate! https://t.co/KVfIK0yPT0 pic.twitter.com/QLrLKLrEm6
— AmericanPapaBear™ (@AmericaPapaBear) July 22, 2026
A dentist may be able to figure that one out, especially one who has access to Nacua’s dental records. They should be able to help determine whether that mark matches Nacua’s chompers.
Meanwhile, one commenter was calling for Nacua to be suspended.
“This suspension worthy”
This suspension worthy https://t.co/Bp7yoNZFqi
— Marlon (@ItsRaineyDoe) July 22, 2026
The last user mentioned a suspension; well, another took things one step further, saying Nacua should be banned for the entire 2026-27 season after committing this “horrific assault.”
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“Puka Nacua should still be suspended for the 26-27 season for this horrific assault.”
Puka Nacua should still be suspended for the 26-27 season for this horrific assault https://t.co/WQ2r2lOgy7
— Roy Drones Jr (@chiweethedog) July 21, 2026
Earlier, when the incident first emerged, it felt like it was quickly forgotten about by everyone but the alleged victim. Now one X commenter said this time it shouldn’t be “swept under the rug.”
“I hope they don’t just let this get swept under the rug. That bite is insane.”
I hope they don’t just let this get swept under the rug. That bite is insane. https://t.co/nP4XBH5LkK
— . (@LeeJohn_BNS) July 21, 2026
Lastly, another commenter asked, “Who let this guy out of rehab???”
Who let this guy out of rehab??? https://t.co/DrKBdgApCu
— OTL (@otl_ff) July 21, 2026
Nacua and his attorney may have a court date coming, because these bite marks have opened up a whole new can of worms.
