Watch CBS News

Pittsburgh Steelers Rookie Arrested For DUI, Crashing Into Parked Cars

By Danny Cox

The Pittsburgh Steelers are already dealing with so many problems on the field, that they really don't need any off of the field. Sadly, that is what they got early on Sunday when a rookie defensive lineman was arrested for DUI, but it wasn't that simple.

22-year-old Alameda Ta'amu (#95) was arrested early Sunday morning on charges of:

  • Leading police on a chase
  • Driving drunk
  • Crashing into parked cars
  • Injuring a woman
dui.jpg

Ta'amu was driving a sport utility vehicle the wrong way on Pittsburgh's South Side around 2:30 a.m. Police state that the rookie defensive lineman fled from officers and crashed into four parked cars before injuring a woman and trying to flee on foot.

He was restrained by police and then arrested. Ta'amu is 6-foot-3 and weighs 348 pounds, so it took four officers to get him restrained and in custody.

Charges against the rookie include felony fleeing police, aggravated assault, and aggravated assault by vehicle. On top of those, Ta'amu is charged with misdemeanor accident causing damage, resisting arrest, escape, and DUI.

"We are disappointed to hear about the situation regarding Alameda Ta'amu," Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert said in a statement. "We will gather more facts before providing any further comment."

Ta'amu's blood-alcohol content was .196 percent according to police, and that is more than twice the legal limit. Officers even feared that he was going for a weapon during attempts to handcuff him, which caused one officer to punch Ta'amu twice and then place him in a police wagon.

Drafted in the fourth round of this year's NFL Draft, Ta'amu has yet to play this season for the Steelers.

Pittsburgh will be able to move past this issue since it was a player that wasn't really overly important to the team so far this season. Still, it is just one more thing that they didn't need to deal with considering how tumultuous the 2012 season has been for them.

That includes the stunning loss to the Titans in Tennessee on Thursday night. The Steelers are currently sitting in third place in the AFC North with a 2-3 record.

One thing that is working in their favor is how lackluster the rest of the AFC currently is as a whole. In the AFC North, Cleveland did Pittsburgh a favor by upsetting the Bengals on Sunday.

Overall, the AFC is looking very weak as the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans sit atop the conference with 5-1 records. After that, four teams are tied with identical 3-3 records including the entire AFC East.

Pittsburgh is 2-3 with games at Cincinnati and at home against Washington coming up. Both are very winnable games, and would put the Steelers over .500 before a big match-up in New York with the Giants.

Ta'amu's run-in with police needs to not only be forgotten as an incident, but he needs to be forgotten about as a player. This is not the type of distraction that the Steelers need right now as the focus needs to be on the field and heading toward the playoffs.

Injuries and road woes are hurting them enough. Senseless rookies can be dealt with and forgotten so that the Steelers don't continue to let the 2012 season sink away.

For more Local Football Bloggers and the latest Steelers news, see CBS Sports Pittsburgh.

Danny Cox knows a little something about the NFL, whether it means letting you know what penalty will come from the flag just thrown on the field or quickly spouting off who the Chicago Bears drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft (Jim Harbaugh). He plans on bringing you the best news, previews, recaps, and anything else that may come along with the exciting world of the National Football League. His work can be found on Examiner.com.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.