PITTSBURGH — Cam Sutton is back with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He left following 2022 for a big three-year deal with the Detroit Lions but saw just one season of that contract. The reason came after charges were filed against Sutton for domestic violence in March, and he turned himself in at the very end of the month.
The charges against Sutton were originally felony but were reduced to a misdemeanor, and Sutton entered a pretrial diversion program. Sutton spoke publicly about the charges and his situation for the first time since his arrest. He stated that he could not say anything legally but expressed his feelings on the situation.
“The biggest thing is that adversity strikes everyone in life,” Sutton said. “It’s about how you handle that and how you necessarily go through those phases, knowing who you are individually and not letting someone else dim your light. I always talk about being a free spirit, just being of that natural spirit not just for yourself but everyone around you. It’s not losing the sense of who I am in that phase. It’s the continuity of just enjoying, there’s so much to be grateful for and so much opportunity, and as I said with blessings to be a part of, so just continue to ride the wave on that end, and just keep living my life out.”
There has already been plenty of public discussion among fans about signing Cam Sutton. Given the situation, Sutton was asked how he would respond to fans’ questions about what led to his release in Detroit. He responded for over a minute, explaining how he felt about the situation and moving forward.
“It’s an opinion-based world,” Sutton said in response. “Everyone moves on the basis of not-knowing, but feel the presence or the space to speak. That’s give or take, however it goes. My job is not 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. 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. 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 just keep moving from there.”
Aside from that, Sutton said very little about the situation. He was pressed and asked about it, but due to the legal nature of the incident, he still can not reveal much and speak about it. When a suspension was brought up, Sutton noted that he had heard from the league, but that will remain private.
Sutton could face a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Chiefs defensive lineman Charles Omenihu faced that exact suspension when charged with misdemeanor domestic violence last season. For now, Sutton is moving forward and plans to be with the team throughout training camp and beyond.
He noted that the Steelers maintained contact with him throughout the situation and offseason, and now was the time they decided to bring him in after that consistent communication. Sutton likely gets pushed right into the starting slot cornerback role for the Steelers.
“I can’t really speak on that too much with the league or that stance but team-wise, again just the connection-wise, staying in contact,” Sutton said. “It was more of a check-in, wellness check-in, just making sure I’m fine, checking in with my family – things like that. Then obviously opportunities lead to the next.”
Sutton joined the team right away for their Wednesday OTA session. It figures that he will continue to attend the last four practices with their mandatory minicamp coming up next week. Pittsburgh held a slot cornerback battle with Josiah Scott and Beanie Bishop, and Sutton will be inserted in that battle as the favorite to win it.