LATROBE, Pa. -- Pittsburgh Steelers punter Daniel Sepulveda will sit out the entire 2008 season with a torn ACL.

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Coach Mike Tomlin made the announcement after the Steelers' Tuesday afternoon practice at training camp, saying the injury was to Sepulveda's non-punting leg.

Former Denver punter Paul Ernster was claimed on waivers from Detroit and was expected to arrive at the Steelers' camp Tuesday night.

"It's unfortunate for Daniel on a personal level," Tomlin said. "But as you know, that's part of football. It's what this game is about. We've got to be prepared to move ahead."

Sepulveda apparently sustained the injury while practicing his punting. WTAE Channel 4's sports director, Jon Burton, reported that Sepulveda will have an operation on his knee immediately with hopes for a full recovery next year.

Sepulveda was a fourth-round draft pick in 2007 and won the starting punter job as a rookie. He went on to punt 68 times for 2,880 yards -- an average of 42.4 yards per punt.

Besides his normal duties, Sepulveda was used in other ways. He completed a pass to Najeh Davenport on a fake punt against St. Louis on Dec. 20 and recovered an onside kick attempt by San Francisco on Sept. 23.

Also, Sepulveda is the holder for Jeff Reed's kicks. Backup quarterback Charlie Batch took Sepulveda's place in that capacity Tuesday.

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