Warning: This story includes details of an alleged domestic assault.
The NFL announced on Monday that has suspended Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cameron Sutton for eight games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy following allegations in March that he committed domestic violence by strangulation.
Sutton was a member of the Detroit Lions at the time of the allegation. The Lions released him on March 21 after Florida police announced they were looking for him for arrest on a warrant issued on March 7. At the time, police said they were unable to locate Sutton two weeks after the warrant was issued.
Sutton eventually turned himself in to police in Tampa on March 31. After initially facing a felony charge, Sutton was charged with misdemeanor assault. He agreed to a pre-trial diversion program on April 17th. He must undergo a mental health evaluation and Is is prohibited from possessing weapons, including firearms.
Sutton, 29, signed with the Steelers on June 5. He previously played his first five seasons in Pittsburgh before joining the Lions for a single season in 2023.
What Sutton was accused of
According to a police affidavit, Sutton assaulted the mother of his three children around 4:45 a.m. on March 7. According to the affidavit as reported by the Tampa Bay TimesSutton picked the woman up and slammed her into a wall. He then bit her on the neck, causing her to bleed, according to the affidavit.
Sutton grabbed her by the neck and face and choked her until she briefly lost consciousness, according to the affidavit. He then pinned her to the ground and punched her twice with his fist, causing a lump on her forehead, according to the affidavit.
The Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office closed the felony case and filed a misdemeanor assault charge against Sutton after he turned himself in and stated that he “actually and intentionally touched or struck” or “intentionally caused bodily harm.”
“After reviewing the evidence, it was appropriate for our office to move forward with misdemeanor domestic battery charges,” Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Erin Maloney wrote in an email to The Times.
Sutton declined to discuss his pending legal proceedings when he joined the Steelers in June.
“My job is to be the best version of myself and how do I convey that to the masses or how do I convey that to everyone around me?” Sutton told reporters on June 5, according to ESPN. “I have complete control of that.”
“So I’m never worried about the narrative. I’m never worried about what people are necessarily going to say, because obviously, they probably don’t know me any more than anybody else… Everybody goes through adversity. Everybody goes through situations in their life that can swing either way. So it’s all about how you position yourself on it and what you do from there.”
Sutton first joined the Steelers as a third-round draft pick in 2018. He played four seasons primarily as a backup before joining the starting lineup for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He started 17 games for a 2023 Lions defense that finished 27th in the league in passing yards allowed.
Sutton will be eligible for reinstatement on Oct. 29 prior to Pittsburgh’s Week 10 game against the Washington Commanders.
