After signing veteran cornerback Cameron Sutton to a one-year, veteran minimum contract, the belief was that the Pittsburgh Steelers had a good understanding of what the potential discipline from the NFL would be.
For Steelers GM Omar Khan, that wasn’t the case at all.
Appearing on the 93.7 The Fan PM Show with co-hosts Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller, Khan stated that the Steelers have no what the potential discipline could be for Sutton.
“Zero idea,” Khan said, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “…That comes from New York. …You probably have to ask those guys in New York. We understand the situation, but that decision’s gonna come from New York.”
That might be hard to some to believe, but there is no reason for Khan to stretch the truth here. Those decisions from a disciplinary standpoint come from the league, so the Steelers won’t have a say in it. They’ll just have to deal with whatever decision is handed down.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio speculated Wednesday on 93.7 The Fan that Sutton could get between six, eight or 10 games, which matches up with the Collective Bargaining Agreement’s Personal Conduct Policy.
Sutton’s situation is an interesting one. It’s rather ugly as far as details of the affidavit following his arrest on domestic violence charges in Florida. But the charges were reduced to a misdemeanor battery charge, which could play a factor in the discipline handed down to him.
The Steelers took advantage of Sutton being available after the Lions released him following his arrest warrant in Hillsborough County, Florida, shoring up the slot cornerback position even though they were concerned with Sutton’s situation. On paper, Sutton is a key answer in the secondary, plugging a major hole for Pittsburgh, which should lead to the likes of Joey Porter Jr., Donte Jackson and Sutton holding down the cornerback positions in sub-package football.
But that could all be delayed come the start of the season depending on the length and timing of the discipline for Sutton, who is all but certain to face a suspension.
Sutton’s arrest warrant was issued on March 20, stating he was wanted for domestic battery by strangulation charges and that police had been trying to contact Sutton for a few weeks following the alleged March 7 incident but had not been able to locate him.
The veteran cornerback turned himself into police on March 31 and was booked on one misdemeanor count of domestic battery before being released. The charge was reduced from a felony, and according to Detroit Free Press reporter Dave Birkett, Sutton was “released on his own recognizance” from jail.
We’ll see what happens with Sutton. For now, we wait, which is the same thing the Steelers will be doing, since they have zero idea what’s ahead in the Sutton situation.
