When the NFL placed several players on paid leave to start the season, the list did not include Rams receiver Puka Nacua. And for good reason; although he has been sued for allegedly biting a woman on New Year’s Eve, no criminal charges have been filed.
That does not remove entirely the possibility that Nacua will be suspended at some point during the 2026 season.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Nacua has commenced the steps required to resolve potential misdemeanor charges through a diversion program. The specific procedure being utilized under California law does not entail an agreement to do so in advance. Instead, the person embarks on the process of fulfilling the requirements. If/when he does, the charge will be simultaneously acknowledged and dismissed.
The situation lands in a gray area under the Personal Conduct Policy. The policy connects a violation to the “disposition of a criminal proceeding.” The policy defines that term to include “adjudication of guilt or admission to a criminal violation; a plea to a lesser included offense; a plea of nolo contendere or no contest; or the disposition of the proceeding through a diversionary program, deferred adjudication, disposition of supervision, conditional dismissal, adjournment in contemplation of dismissal, pretrial intervention or similar arrangement.”
The question becomes whether the commencement of compliance with the terms of a diversionary program fall within that definition, or whether the violation arises only after the full program is completed.
In other situations, entry into a diversionary program has triggered discipline under the policy, before the steps were satisfied. In Nacua’s case, it can be argued that, since there are no charges and no formal agreement, discipline should wait. The league could view that as a matter of semantics.
Obviously, there’s an understanding as to what will happen if Nacua complies with the terms of the diversion arrangement; he won’t face misdemeanor charges. The only question is whether the league will review the situation for discipline before, or after, he achieves full compliance.
The NFL has not yet responded to a specific inquiry whether commencement of the compliance process is enough to activate discipline. If not, Nacua likely will be available throughout the 2026 season. If so, a suspension could still happen this year.
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