The NFL has laid down the law and has suspended Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback/safety Cam Sutton for the initial eight games of the 2024 season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
The league announced the decision Monday, stating that Sutton, who will not be monetarily compensated during the suspension, would be eligible to apply for reinstatement on October 29 following Pittsburgh’s Week 8 matchup against the New York Giants.
Sutton is not appealing the punishment, ESPN’s senior NFL insider Adam Schefter reported Monday.
The reason for the severity of the discipline stems from Sutton’s involvement in an alleged domestic violence dispute where he allegedly battered and assaulted a woman prior to fleeing the scene in Florida in March.
After several weeks of being on the run and evading law enforcement, Sutton eventually turned himself in to authorities and entered a pretrial diversion program in April after the charges were somewhat diminished from a felony to misdemeanor battery. His agreement with prosecutors required Sutton to take a mental health evaluation.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe NFL completed its own investigation into the incident, leading to the suspension.
The Detroit Lions signed Sutton to a contract after the 2022 campaign. He started all 17 games last season, but the organization stepped up to the plate and released him after learning of the charge in March. He found a life preserver with the Steelers, where he played for the first six years of his career from 2017-22. He registered three interceptions in 2022, the final season of his first tour of duty in the ‘Steel City’.
Pittsburgh signed Sutton to a one-year deal last month. Sutton took part in both organized team activities and minicamp, however, when questioned about the circumstances of his arrest, he declined to get into specifics about what led to his arrest or any potential punishment that the NFL could levy down the line if it finds he violated the league’s personal conduct policy.
“Adversity strikes everyone in life,” Sutton said the day he signed with the Steelers. “So, it’s all about how you handle it, how you necessarily go through those phases and just knowing who you are individually, not letting someone else dim your light.
