Levi McCathern, an attorney representing Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, told The California Post on Wednesday that his client has checked into a rehab center in Malibu.
Last month, Nacua was sued by a woman named Madison Atiabi, who says that Nacua bit her and made an antisemitic comment on New Year's Eve. According to Atiabi's suit, Nacua, who previously apologized for doing an antisemitic dance on camera, said, "Fuck all the Jews" while out to dinner in Los Angeles. The lawsuit also says that later in the night, while Atiabi was in a car with Nacua, he bit her on the left shoulder and left a "circular imprint of his teeth on her body."
When news of Atiabi's lawsuit first broke, McCathern released a statement on behalf of Nacua denying the allegations "in the strongest possible terms." McCathern also claimed to be in possession of video evidence that would show "Atiabi's behavior and actions are inconsistent with the allegations being made."
McCathern told the Post that Nacua has been in the rehab facility for a "substantial period of time before any of these allegations broke with Madison,” and that he is scheduled to remain there "a while longer." McCathern also seemed to contradict his assertion that Nacua's rehab stint was not spurred by Atiabi's lawsuit, however, when he told the Post, "The combination of stories ya’ll have run is certainly a contributing factor.”
In a separate statement released to the NFL Network, McCathern claimed that Nacua will be out of the rehab facility in time for OTAs.
