A warrant went out for Cameron Sutton‘s arrest in early March; more than three weeks later, the former Lions and Steelers cornerback turned himself in.
Sutton was taken into custody on a domestic battery by strangulation charge, according to the Hillsborough County Sherriff’s Office. The Lions released Sutton, 29, last week. The alleged crime took place on the morning of March 7, but Sutton remained at large for weeks. He was seen at the Lions’ facility working out despite being wanted; the team cut him shortly thereafter.
Police in Florida issued the warrant March 7. The Lions released the 2023 free-agent pickup on March 21, a day after the report of the warrant surfaced. This search for Sutton stems from police responding to a call pertaining to an alleged domestic incident early that morning in Lutz, Florida. He arrived at the Orient Road Jail shortly after 8 p.m. Sunday night. Sutton’s NFL career is certainly in jeopardy, with the Lions having released him following the report of the warrant.
“We were learning it the same moment you guys were learning about the warrant,” Lions president Rod Wood said (via the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett) earlier this week. “Actually I was on a Zoom call with the league on another matter when it popped up on my phone. As soon as that call wrapped up, we kind of quickly convened and talked about it. We were able to reach Cam and talk about it and suggested that he get counsel and do the right thing to turn himself in. And then after that, we met the rest of the day and then the following morning to decide to release him.”
Sutton has played seven NFL seasons – six with the Steelers, one with the Lions – and has been a starter for most of his career. The Lions gave the former third-round pick a three-year, $33M deal. An NFL suspension, which seems likely to commence, would void the $9M in remaining guarantees on Sutton’s Detroit contract.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233