Pittsburgh Steelers rookie nose tackle Alameda Ta'amu waived his right to a hearing on Thursday on charges that he led Pittsburgh police on a chase while intoxicated. Ta'amu also crashed into several parked cars while under the influence, causing thousands of dollars in damage.
Ta'amu apologized after his appearance in court, stating:
"Just wanted to say that I'm sorry -- a big mistake that I made on my part, and I'm doing everything possible to make this right. I don't think there's any other word I would say but 'sorry' is the only word I can say right now."
The nose tackle has returned to the team after serving a two-week unpaid suspension following his arrest.
The official report states that police saw a sport utility vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road at 2:30 am on Oct. 21. Several police officers ordered the driver to stop, but Ta'amu refused, forcing the officers to dive out of the way to avoid the oncoming car.
The SUV crashed into multiple parked cars, injuring one person who was still inside their car. The SUV eventually disabled, which caused Ta'amu to flee on foot. After the police caught up with him, Ta'amu resisted being handcuffed, so one officer punched him twice before arresting him and sending him off in a police wagon.