Ex-Lions CB drops silent on domestic violence crisis following arrest and ultimate release

Cameron Sutton, a former Detroit Lions cornerback, presented himself to authorities in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday, more than three weeks after a warrant was issued for his arrest on an aggravated battery domestic abuse complaint.

Former NFL cornerback Cameron Sutton’s attorneys issued a statement on Monday after he was freed from a Tampa, Florida jail, according to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report.

“On March 31, 2024, Mr. Cameron Sutton voluntarily turned himself into the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office,” said attorneys Todd Foster and Jason Stechen. “On April 1, 2024, he was released on his own recognizance.”

“After conducting an investigation into this case, the Office of the State Attorney has decided to charge a single misdemeanor. Both Mr. Sutton and his children’s mother have requested privacy in this situation because they see it as a family concern that should be resolved as a family.”

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister confirmed Sutton’s current condition and stood behind the victim after the former cornerback brought himself in, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.

“After weeks of eluding police, this individual has finally taken the correct decision to bring himself in. Domestic abuse has no place in our community, and no one is above the law in Hillsborough County,” according to a statement from the Chronicle. “My thoughts are with this woman as she continues to heal from this man’s gruesome actions,”

The troubled former Lions cornerback is charged with domestic abuse by strangulation, a third-degree felony with a maximum prison sentence of five years.

The incident began when the sheriff’s department got an allegation of continuous domestic violence between Sutton and a female about 5 a.m. on March 7. The search for Sutton increased roughly two weeks ago, when the sheriff’s office requested assistance in finding him.

According to Fox 2 Detroit, Lions President Rod Wood mentioned that Sutton was present at the team’s training facility, which is located just outside Detroit.

“We learned about the warrant at the same time everybody else did on social media,” Wood went on to say. “We were able to communicate with Cam because he was present in our building. We found him. He was down with our strength team. He arrived up suddenly to work out. We were able to speak with him in person—not me, but other members of the staff—and he departed the building.”

Detroit terminated Sutton’s contract on March 21 after reports of the warrant became public. Sutton had signed a three-year deal worth $33 million with Detroit a year prior.

Cameron Sutton’s Lions tenure