Analyst Rips Steelers Over Cam Sutton Signing, Deserves More Scrutiny
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk made it clear from the beginning that he wasn’t a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers signing of cornerback Cam Sutton. In June, he said it was a “bad look for the Steelers to give this guy a second chance.”
Florio’s opinion is even stronger now that the NFL suspended Sutton eight games without pay by the National Football League for violation of the team’s personal conduct policy, the league announced on Monday.
“I think the Steelers deserve to be scrutinized and criticized for making the decision to give Cam Sutton safe harbor,” said Florio. “When you look at the affidavits, the allegations are strong.”
Sutton was suspended for violating the domestic violence portion of the league’s conduct policy, when he was arrested for domestic assault earlier this offseason. Sutton was originally charged with a felony, before it was reduced to misdemeanor. At that point, he entered a pre-trial diversion program that included admitting guilt. The NFL independently investigated the allegations and confirmed that Sutton violated the league’s policy.
Sutton spent three weeks earlier this offseason wanted by police after he was alleged to have assaulted a woman in a home in Lutz, Florida on March 7. Sutton was released by the Detroit Lions on March 21 after one year of a three-year, $33 million free agent contract.
Per the Tampa Bay Times, the probable cause affidavit stated: “During the argument, Sutton picked up the woman and slammed her into a wall, then bit her on the neck, leaving a quarter-sized abrasion that bled. . . . Sutton then grabbed the woman by the face and neck and choked her, causing her to briefly lose consciousness. . . . The altercation continued into the living room of the home, 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.”
Florio makes a valid point that the Sutton signing hasn’t been criticized enough, especially when Steelers fans rip the Cleveland Browns for signing quarterback Deshaun Watson.
“So far, the Steelers haven’t gotten the kind of scrutiny that maybe they should. And of course, there are plenty of Steelers fans who get mad if you point that out,” he said. “They want to bash the Browns signing Deshaun Watson. At the end of the day, Sutton was suspended only three games fewer than Watson was suspended.”
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said at minicamp that he felt comfortable with the signing of Sutton because of his personal relationship with him. Sutton was drafted by the Steelers in 2017 and played in Pittsburgh up until signing a three-year, $33 million contract with the Detroit Lions in March of 2023.
“There are not any conversations that we had recently, it’s the totality of our relationship,” Tomlin said. “I met this guy in Knoxville, man, six, seven years ago, whatever it was, when he came out of school. He’s a great guy. He loves football.
“It’s probably the totality of our relationship and I probably represent the sentiment of the organization and saying that it’s less about specific conversations, particularly of late, and it’s about the relationship established over a longer period of time.”
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