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Rams players enjoyed the day off they got for Christmas, perhaps no one more than Puka Nacua.

The previous week, the star receiver was fined $25,000 by the NFL after he made critical comments about officials during a livestream and then again in a social media post immediately after the Rams’ crushing 38-37 overtime defeat by the Seattle Seahawks.

The fine capped a week during which Nacua also apologized for making an antisemitic gesture during the livestream — an incident that caused the Rams and the NFL also to issue statements.

So Nacua said Friday that he was happy to enjoy Christmas before continuing to prepare for Monday night’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.

“It’s been nice to celebrate and rejoice and get ready for what’s ahead of us,” he said after practice at SoFi Stadium.

Nacua said the fine “definitely hurt” but was not unexpected.

“An experience to learn from and, man, never let it happen again,” he said. “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.”

Nacua understands that he has opportunities to convey positive messages, quarterback Matthew Stafford said.

“He’s obviously never going to be perfect, nobody is,” said Stafford, a 17th-year pro. “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.”

Nacua, a third-year pro, was voted to the Pro Bowl for the second time while producing another stellar season that could put him in the conversation for NFL offensive player of the year.

He leads the NFL with 114 catches. His 1,592 yards receiving ranks second, and he has caught eight touchdown passes.

Former Rams receiver Cooper Kupp was the 2021 offensive player of the year when he claimed the so-called triple crown of receiving by leading the league with 145 receptions, 1,947 yards and 16 touchdown catches.

Nacua and Stafford, who also was voted to the Pro Bowl, have been especially in sync the last three games.

In a Dec. 7 rout of the Cardinals, Nacua caught seven passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns. The next week, he caught nine passes for 181 yards in a victory over the Detroit Lions.

Four days later, with fellow star receiver Davante Adams sidelined because of a hamstring injury, he caught 12 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns in the defeat by the Seahawks.

Nacua has been notably effective on critical third- and fourth-down plays.

“It’s been fun to have those pressure moments, because that’s what you play sports for,” he said. “You live for the third-down the fourth-down conversions, and you’re finding whatever way to convert.

“It makes it fun when those opportunities come up.”

During the three-game stretch, Nacua did “the same thing he’s done all season,” Stafford said, noting that the Rams have had more snaps the last few games.

“He runs great routes,” Stafford said, “and plays really tough with and without the football.”

The Rams (11-4) have clinched a playoff spot and are currently seeded sixth in the NFC. They play the Falcons (6-9), and then finish the season at home against the Arizona Cardinals.

Nacua aims to continue the recent streak of amplified success, which stems from the connection he has with Stafford and the “excitement” that permeates the Rams’ locker room.

“There’s just an excitement to continue to go out there and prove ourselves,” he said, “and so it makes it fun when you get the reward you want.”

Etc.

After practicing at SoFi Stadium on Wednesday and Friday, the Rams will return to their Woodland Hills facility for practice on Saturday. … Adams, left tackle Alaric Jackson (knee), right guard Kevin Dotson (ankle) and defensive back Josh Wallace (ankle) did not practice, according to the Rams’ injury report.

Puka Nacua’s comments about NFL officiating came with a cost — and not just the distraction the controversy caused the Rams before their overtime defeat by the Seattle Seahawks.

The NFL fined the Rams receiver $25,000 for remarks he made about NFL officiating, according to NFL Media.

Nacua caught 12 passes for a career-best 225 yards and two touchdowns against the Seahawks.

During a livestream on Tuesday, with YouTubers N3on and Adin Ross, Nacua said, “The refs are the worst.”

Nacua did not stop there.

“These guys are lawyers, and like, really, they want to be on TV, too, bro,” Nacua said. “You don’t think he’s texting his friends in the group chat like, ‘Yo, you guys just saw me on “Sunday Night Football.” Like, that wasn’t [pass interference], but I called it.’”

After the loss to the Seahawks, Nacua appeared to double down.

“Can you say I was wrong,” he posted to X. “Appreciate you stripes for your contribution. Lol”

The post was quickly deleted.

“Just a moment of frustration after a tough, intense game like that, just thinking of the opportunities that I could have done better to take it out of their hands,” Nacua told reporters in the locker room. “Just a moment of frustration.”

Coach Sean McVay said during his postgame news conference that he had not seen Nacua’s post to X.

In regard to Nacua’s criticism of officials during the livestream, McVay said, “Yeah, we don’t want to do that.”

It was a tumultuous week for Nacua, who apologized Thursday for making a antisemitic gesture during the same livestream, saying he didn’t know that the gesture was considered offensive.

SEATTLE — Puka Nacua promised he would learn from his mistakes, but his pledge was unconvincing.

His speech was rushed. What he said barely made any sense.

And there was this: On Thursday night, two days after criticizing referees on a livestream, Nacua posted a sarcastic message about the officials following the Rams’ 38-37 overtime defeat by the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.

“Can you say I was wrong,” he wrote on X. “Appreciate you stripes for your contribution. Lol”

The post was quickly deleted. The questions about Nacua’s judgment remained.

Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua criticized referees immediately after the Rams’ overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night before deleting the post on X.

Nacua, 24, is in line for a monster contract extension in the upcoming offseason, as the Rams view their record-breaking receiver as a cornerstone. But here he was basically repeating a mistake he made only two days earlier, which can’t be what any team wants from its most popular player.

Are the Rams really about to entrust him with the responsibility of projecting their virtues?

Ironically, the most controversial aspect of his recent livestream appearance could be the most defensible. Hours before the Rams played the Seahawks, Nacua offered an explanation for the antisemitic gesture he made on Adin Ross’ and N3on’s show.

“At the time,” Nacua posted on Instagram, “I had no idea this act was antisemitic in nature and perpetuated harmful stereotypes against Jewish people.”

The story was believable. The offensive hand movements were part of a touchdown celebration Ross encouraged Nacua to perform if he scored against the Seahawks.

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Gary Klein breaks down what went wrong for the Rams in their 38-37 loss to the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on Thursday night.

Ross is Jewish. Earlier in the livestream he wished his viewers a Happy Hanukkah, which prompted Nacua to share that he accepted a friend’s invitation to attend Shabbat last week.

When Nacua was informed of the undertone of the celebration he practiced with Ross, he apologized. He reached the end zone twice on Thursday and didn’t perform the dance either time.

“I know this guy’s heart and for anybody that was offended, terribly sorry about that,”Rams coach Sean McVay said. “I know he feels that same exact way.”

The guess here is that he won’t ever make the gesture again.

Less certain is whether Nacua will be able to continue building his personal brand without becoming a distraction to his team.

The Rams should be concerned.

In a short week, the Rams were forced to bar Ross and N3on from entering their building.

Later that afternoon, their most visible player joined the streamers in their vehicle and traveled to a club, where he claimed that referees purposely made egregious calls because they wanted TV airtime.

This is a brave new world for athletes and the teams that employ them. Younger audiences want their heroes to be open, whether they are athletes or entertainers. For stars such as Nacua, the challenge is to strike a balance between being accessible and protective of their teams.

Nacua failed to do that this week.

“Coach (McVay) has just echoed that he’s always in continuous support of me, disappointed in some of the actions that just distracted my teammates and that’s something that I know I’ll learn from and I don’t want to be a distraction in any week, especially in a short week, so we had talked about that and he’s right there behind me,” Nacua said.

Nacua nonetheless voiced his displeasure with referees again on Thursday, posting to X minutes after the Seahawks won the game by scoring a two-point conversion in overtime.

What inspired the message, Nacua said, was “just a moment of frustration after a tough, intense game like that, just thinking of the opportunities that I could have done better to take it out of their hands.”

Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, right, celebrates next to teammate Jordan Whittington after making a touchdown catch in the fourth quarter against the Seahawks on Thursday.

(Soobum Im / Getty Images)

Whatever that meant.

McVay declined to comment about Nacua’s post, saying he was first informed of its existence when he was asked about it in his postgame news conference.

“I have to have more information before I answer any of those kinds of questions,” McVay said.

However, McVay said of Nacua’s comments about referees on the livestream, “Yeah, we don’t want to do that.”

Being asked about an unpleasant subject in the wake of a crushing defeat made McVay testy. Asked if the fallout from Nacua’s livestream was a distraction, McVay snapped, “Did you think his play showed that he was distracted?”

Nacua caught 12 passes for 225 yards.

But McVay caught himself and apologized.

“I love this team,” he said. “And, man, when you put out as much as our group does and you care so much about something and you come up short, it’s incredibly disappointing.”

Such presence of mind explains why McVay is the voice of the Rams. As competitive as he is, as intense as he can be, he knows how to keep his impulses from compromising his team’s long-term objectives.

Nacua has to figure out how to do that. By next season, he won’t be an underpaid star on his original rookie contract. He will have a deal that reflects his stature as a player, and with that comes responsibility. Recent days raised questions about whether he is capable.

Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua apologized for performing a gesture “antisemitic in nature” during a livestream, stating he originally had no idea it “perpetuated harmful stereotypes against Jewish people.”

“I deeply apologize to anyone who was offended by my actions as I do not stand for any form of racism, bigotry or hate of another group of people,” Nacua wrote in a post on Instagram.

Nacua made the gesture while appearing on a livestream with Adin Ross and N3on. The livestreamers suggested he perform the gesture the next time he celebrated after scoring a touchdown.

“There is no place in this world for Antisemitism as well as other forms of prejudice or hostility towards the Jewish people and people of any religion, ethnicity, or race,” the Rams said in a statement.

The NFL also released a statement: “The NFL strongly condemns all forms of discrimination and derogatory behavior directed towards any group or individual. The continuing rise of antisemitism must be addressed across the world, and the NFL will continue to stand with our partners in this fight. Hatred has no place in our sport or society.”

Nacua’s gesture came on the same livestream in which he also criticized NFL referees, calling them “the worst” and claiming many probably get a thrill making bad calls on national television during games.