Steelers omit Cameron Sutton’s comments about his “message to fans” after off-field incident from video

Football teams are always looking for bargains. The Steelers found one in cornerback Cameron Sutton. Even if they had to hold their noses a little when it came to the smell of off-field misconduct committed by the player.

Apparently, the Steelers also had to cut some footage from the end of Sutton’s media availability on Wednesday.

To summarize, the authorities issued a warrant for Sutton’s arrest on felony domestic assault charges in March 2024. He remained at large for more than three weeks.

The lions released him on March 21despite starting every game for Detroit in 2023. Team president Rod Wood later said that when the Lions learned of the outstanding warrant, Sutton was actually in the building.

Sutton turned himself in 10 days after his release. He was charged with misdemeanor battery. He later entered a pretrial diversion program. The Steelers recently signed him; he spent six years in Pittsburgh before joining the Lions as a free agent in 2023.

Sutton met with reporters on Wednesday. At the end of the session, he was asked to explain his “message to the fans”, taking into account the off-field incident and its consequences. Sutton first offered a series of seemingly random clichés before saying, “I’m never worried about a narrative. I’m never worried about what necessarily people say because obviously they more than likely don’t know me any more than anyone else. You know what I mean?” And again, it just keeps coming back to your foundation, your morals, who you are individually as a human being and what you hold up. Again, everyone goes through adversity, everyone goes through things. your lives that can change in both directions. So it’s all about how you position yourself and what you do from there. And like I said, I’m ready to keep moving in the right direction.

The Steelers posted on YouTube.com a video of media sessions with wide receiver Van Jefferson, Sutton and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Sutton’s segment, however, was edited to omit the question about the “message to fans” and his response. (The video includes an earlier comment that “[a]adversity hits everyone in life, you know, so it’s all about how you deal with it, how you necessarily get through those phases, and just knowing who you are individually, not letting anyone dim your light.”)

The whole thing creates a tough look for the Steelers. As characterized by Tampa Bay TimesO the probable cause statement said so: “During the argument, Sutton picked up the woman and threw her against the wall, then bit her on the neck, leaving a dime-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 in the living room of the house, where Sutton grabbed the woman by her hair and struck her twice, causing a knot on the woman’s forehead.

Entering a diversion program triggers possible punishment under the Personal Conduct Policy. If, however, the victim does not cooperate with the NFL, it will be more difficult for the NFL to get a full picture of what did or did not happen.

Inevitably, Sutton will be forced to meet with NFL investigators and explain what he did. Then some kind of penalty will be imposed. According to the Personal Conduct Policy, a first domestic violence violation “will subject the offender to a basic suspension without pay of six games, with possible adjustments up or down based on any aggravating or mitigating factors.” One of the aggravating factors listed in the policy is “suffocation”. Another aggravating factor is “repeated blows”. Another aggravating factor is “when the act is committed in the presence of a child”. (Sutton and the victim have three children; it is unclear whether any of them were present at the altercation.)

So, to the extent that Sutton’s “message to fans” is that “everyone goes through adversity,” he will eventually experience more adversity in the form of a suspension without pay – one that will possibly exceed six games if the league concludes that the the facts in the probable cause statement are more likely than not to be false and correct (and if it turns out that one or more children were present when the misconduct occurred).

The Steelers decided to ignore this and wait for him through a suspension because he is a good player. Of course, that didn’t stop the Lions from moving quickly to sever ties.