UFL's Samson Nacua slapped with one-game suspension after slapping fan

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United Football League player Samson Nacua was given a one-game suspension Tuesday after he slapped a fan following a game last week.

Video of the incident, which occurred after Nacua’s visiting Michigan Panthers lost Saturday to the St. Louis Battlehawks, showed him in an animated exchange with a fan who was leaning out of the front row at The Dome at America’s Center.

After feinting a move toward the fan, Nacua was shown leaping up to smack the man in the face. The 27-year-old wide receiver then walked away as a teammate, Adonis Alexander, pointed to and laughed at the fan.

The UFL quickly issued a statement saying it was investigating the incident, and on Tuesday the league said Nacua would sit out one game without pay. The decision on punishment was attributed to Daryl Johnston, a former NFL player who helps call NFL games for Fox and serves as the UFL’s executive vice president of football operations.

Nacua, the older brother of Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, is set to miss the 3-2 Panthers’ game Sunday against the visiting DC Defenders (4-1). The former University of Utah and BYU player, whose older brother Kai Nacua also plays for the Panthers, is third on the team with seven catches for 116 yards plus a touchdown.

Undrafted in 2022, Nacua signed with the Indianapolis Colts but was released in the final roster cuts before the regular season. He was briefly on the New Orleans Saints’ preseason roster last year after he played his first season with the Panthers. In 2023, he played for the USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers, a team that became defunct when it was not included in that league’s merger with the XFL.

The UFL, which was created last year from the merger, announced Tuesday that Nacua agreed to participate in community service events to be arranged by the league. In a statement Nacua provided to the Detroit News, he said he wanted to apologize to the Panthers, the UFL and to “the fans who support our league.”

“I truly let my emotions get the best of me,” he said, “and accept the league’s decision completely. To my teammates, I will be supporting you in spirit as you face DC this weekend. … I appreciate this league for providing me the opportunity to continue playing the game I love.”