The Steelers had to make a roster move Wednesday afternoon with defensive tackle Alameda Ta’amu returning from his two-game suspension, a decision that held some intrigue for the rookie.
Pittsburgh could have cut him and moved on after Ta’amu’s arrest on Oct. 14. Ta’amu was charged with 15 different crimes, including felony charges of fleeing police, aggravated assault while driving drunk and three counts of aggravated assault for trying to hit police officers with his car. The team suspended him after the arrest and had a two-day roster exemption to decide how to get back to 53 men. They decided to hold onto the rookie for the time being and released safety Damon Cromartie-Smith.
“I was scared,” Ta’amu said, via Mike Bires of the Beaver County Times. “But it’s good to know that everybody here is behind me.”
Ta’amu called the arrest “the biggest mistake of my life” and pledged that nothing like it would ever happen again. Ta’amu hasn’t played in a game yet this season.
