SANTA CLARA — Pita Taumoepenu spent Tuesday packing up a shipping container with Christmas gifts for his native village of Pea in Tonga, about a two-week voyage in the South Pacific.
The next day, the 49ers gave him his long-awaited present: a promotion from the practice squad onto the 53-man roster.
Before he unloads his pass-rushing potential on the Denver Broncos on Sunday, let’s rewind to explain what and why he loaded a care package home.