The Pittsburgh Steelers signed cornerback Cameron Sutton for the veteran minimum. Like other veterans — including Russell Wilson, Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins — Sutton is a low-risk, high-reward free agent.
But Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio still didn’t like the signing. Florio ripped the Steelers for acquiring Sutton just two and a half months after he was a fugitive from the law.
“I don’t get what the Steelers are doing here. Other than saying, ‘We had this guy for six years, we got him cheap. He’s a starting corner, and we got him cheap. We’ll just deal with this crap.’ It’s a lot of crap,” Florio said on June 6. “It’s a bad look for the Steelers that they gave this guy a second chance.
“As we always say, talent will get you that second chance. If this guy was a scrub, he’d never be back in the league.”
The Hillsborough County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant for Sutton’s arrest on suspicion of domestic violence on March 20. The same day, The Detroit News’ Justin Rogers reported that the police “made multiple attempts” to contact Sutton but were been unable to reach him.
The Detroit Lions released Sutton a day later. He remained at large for 10 more days before turning himself in to police.
Sutton was charged with misdemeanor battery and then entered into a pretrial diversion program.
The Steelers signed him to a 1-year deal on June 5. Sutton spent the first six seasons of his career in Pittsburgh.
Florio also blasted Sutton himself for his first comments to the media upon his return to the team that drafted him.
“It’s an opinion-based world,” Sutton told reporters on June 5, via SB Nation’s Behind the Steel Curtain’s Jarrett Bailey. “Everyone moves on the basis of not knowing, but feeling the presence or the space to speak. That’s give or take, however it goes. My job is not to appeal to someone else.
“My job is to be the best version of myself and how do I give that off to the masses or give it off to everyone around me. I’m in full control of that. I’m never worried about a narrative.”
Steelers Edited Cameron Sutton’s Remarks
Sutton continued to elaborate about what his message to fans is about his presence in the league following his domestic violence incident. Florio took major issue with Sutton’s comments.
But Florio may have had an even bigger problem with the fact that the Steelers cut those comments out of their YouTube version of Sutton’s first 2024 OTA interview.
The Steelers (and other NFL teams) often edit player interviews in non-press conference settings due to time restraints. But in this case, the only answer that appeared to be missing from Sutton’s interview was the last question, to which he delivered this response.
“I’m never worried about what necessarily people say because, obviously, more than likely, they don’t know me more than anybody else. You know what I mean? And again, it gets back to just your foundation, your morals, who you are individually as a human being, and just what you stand on,” Sutton said, via Bailey. “Holding my head high. Again, everybody goes through adversity. Everybody goes through things in their life that can change in both directions.
“So it’s all about how you stand on that and what you do from that. And like I said, I’m ready to keep moving in the right direction. Everything else will keep falling in line, and we will just keep moving from there.”
Sutton also referenced the word “adversity” earlier to reporters on June 5. Florio took major exception to that word usage.
“He’s almost characterizing himself as a victim. ‘We all go through adversity.’ Some adversity is set upon us,” Florio said. “Some adversity we create by the things we do.”
Sutton Could Face More Than a 6-Game Suspension
Chris Simms responded to Florio by arguing that the Steelers could be “playing the long game” with Sutton. Due to his domestic violence incident, Sutton could face a 6-game suspension this season. But after his return, Sutton will return for the second half of the season.
That is, if the NFL doesn’t suspend Sutton for longer than six games. Florio suggested that’s a possibility.
“There are aggravating factors that could drive [a suspension] higher [than six games]. When you look at the police affidavit, the probable cause affidavit, during the argument that resulted in the charges, Sutton picked up the woman who is his longtime girlfriend and the mother of his three children, slammed her into a wall, bit her on the neck leaving quarter-sized abrasion that bled, grabbed the woman by the face and neck and choked her, causing her to briefly lose consciousness,” Florio said. “Altercation continued into the living room of the house, where Sutton held down the woman by her hair and struck her twice with his fist, causing a knot to form on the woman’s forehead.
“Repeated striking, choking and anything that may have happened in the presence of children. Three aggravating factors from the personal conduct policy that drive that higher than six.”
The Steelers would be wise to assume Sutton will be suspended for at least six games. But it’s not clear when the league will make its final decision.
Should the NFL conduct its own investigation, punishment for Sutton could be delayed. It’s possible Sutton wouldn’t face a suspension until the 2025 season.
But at some point, the veteran cornerback will very likely miss games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
