Rookie Alameda Ta'amu Walks to Wal-Mart, Injures Foot, Misses Two Days of Practice

It's all fun and games until a rookie nearly breaks his foot.

When Steelers rookie NT Alameda Ta'amu was instructed by unnamed Steelers veterans to walk to Wal-Mart, possibly to exploit every day low prices (maybe even cheap DVDs), it wasn't made clear to the 348-pound lineman from Washington how far, exactly, he'd have to go.

After the trip, he didn't move much for the next two days. He was held out of practice after apparently suffering a foot injury on his excursion.

According to Google, a trip from St. Vincent's College to the Wal-Mart in Latrobe (located at 100 Colony Lane) is 2.3 miles by car, but only 1.4 miles by foot.

Whichever route Ta'amu took, Trib Review reporter Alan Robinson noted doctors initially thought the foot injury he sustained on the trip may have been a broken bone. Ta'amu missed two days of practice with the injury,

Worst part is, according to the "By Foot" map, Ta'amu would have walked across the street from a Giant Eagle and a K-Mart. It's unclear whether the prices on the requested items were competitive with Wal-Mart's, or if that was even a factor in the veterans' decision to send Ta'amu on his journey, but it seems likely Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin will not find amusement in the rookie orientation prank, and will verbally discourage such practices in the future.

The Steelers have Monday off from practice, and Ta'amu is expected to participate when they return to Latrobe Tuesday.

Maybe he'll remember to shop ahead this time.

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