Rookie nose tackle Alameda Ta'amu hadn't seen the field in his first five games as a pro.

He will definitely miss two more, as the Steelers suspended him in an unprecedented move by the team due to an arrest on felony charges for an alleged drunken driving charge - amid many other counts.

Ta'amu allegedly led police on a car chase early Sunday morning in Pittsburgh. He allegedly was driving on the wrong side of the road, crashed into multiple parked cars, nearly hit pursuing police officers and fled the scene on foot.

His suspension isn't a surprise. The length of it will probably be seen as too little for some, and it's instructive to point out this is the team's suspension, not the league's.

Further punishment could still be handed down.

Former Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes was the last Steelers player to be suspended directly by the team (and not the league) after he was arrested for marijuana possession in 2008. Holmes did not play in the team's next game.

There was some speculation as to whether the Steelers were involved in the NFL's suspension of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for allegations of misconduct in 2010 - for which Roethlisberger was never charged. He was formally suspended for six games by the NFL, and that was later reduced to four games.

Ta'amu came from the University of Washington with high hopes of becoming a contributing member of a young Steelers defense. He hasn't hit his stride yet this season, and with two games off - and a possible release still hanging over his head - he'll have to come from the lowest depths of the doghouse to get a chance to earn a chance again.

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