Los Angeles Rams star wide receiver Puka Nacua has been a name able to avoid any kind of drama or controversy for the duration of his career. That, coupled with his sunny demeanor, has made him a model for others to follow when it comes to nabbing success and maintaining it. Well, his girlfriend might be denting his squeaky-clean reputation due to a recent development.
According to a TMZ report posted on July 2, Nacua’s girlfriend, Hallie Aiono, has made an effort to force the court to help nail down who the father of her baby is. On June 16, she filed a request in Los Angeles County that appears to be asking Nacua to take a paternity test.
She also reportedly wants full physical custody of the child with visitation rights for Nacua. She also wanted “reasonable” cash to help with the cost of the pregnancy and birth, plus attorney fees.
The two had been dating for years and seemed happy as recently as May, but the turn of events strongly suggests Nacua and Aiono are heading for a split if they have not already done so.
Puka Nacua’s New Distraction Is Bad News for Los Angeles Rams
The situation can only add stress to Nacua’s life, and for the wide receiver still playing on a rookie deal, the potential costs associated could cost the receiver more than many other players.
Nacua is currently playing on a deal worth just $4 million, which is impressive to the average worker but is still only a few large transactions or repeated toe-stubs from being gone. Of course, if Nacua is the father and thus responsible for helping with the mother of his child, he will be compelled to do so.
However, the situation percolating at the start of the NFL cycle means that this could hang over Nacua for much, if not all, of his third season. It will fall on Nacua to remain focused on the task at hand and manage his time and stress effectively.
It’s another potentially thorny situation plaguing the offense, joining left tackle Alaric Jackson’s health as a major question mark heading into training camp. Between Jackson’s blood clots and Nacua’s new potential trouble, Matthew Stafford has more budding problems than solutions at the moment.
The Rams are starting to wade into territory where they don’t need good news, but it certainly would be welcome with the team not even at training camp yet.
