Mike Florio comments on whether the NFL will suspend Cam Sutton

Cam Sutton is a Pittsburgh Steeler again and ready to help the team in 2024. But there’s no guarantee the NFL will let him play all 17 games this season. Although Sutton is no longer charged with domestic violence against his girlfriend, but only as a misdemeanor, Roger Goodell could still step in and suspend Sutton under the NFL’s domestic violence policy. Analyst and former attorney Mike Florio weighed in on the league’s potential actions.

“If he participates in a diversion program before the trial, he will face disciplinary action,” Florio said 93.7 The Fans Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller. “But again, you have to ask the question of how aggressively the alleged victim will cooperate. They will be left with the facts that he admitted in order to be included in this diversion program.”

Florio earned his law degree in West Virginia and practiced law until 2009, when NBC Sports partnered with Pro Football Talk.

As part of the dismissal of charges, Sutton agreed to a pre-trial diversion program. Under the terms, which were disclosed to ESPN, he is not allowed to have contact with the victim, is not allowed to possess a firearm and must undergo a psychiatric evaluation. It’s not clear what level of guilt, if any, Sutton will have to admit as part of the program. And that could play a key role in whether the NFL suspends him.

“If, as part of the conditions of participation in the diversion program, he was required to admit that (the affidavit) was true, and those facts come to light and are proven without the requisite cooperation of the alleged victim, then he will be subject to possible disciplinary action,” Florio said.

The Tampa Bay Times shared the details of the affidavit on April 3.

“During the argument, Sutton picked the woman up and slammed her against a wall, then bit her on the neck, leaving a bleeding abrasion the size of a quarter. Sutton then grabbed the woman by the face and neck and choked her, causing her to briefly lose consciousness, the affidavit states.

The altercation continued in the living room of the home, where Sutton grabbed the woman by her hair and punched her twice, causing a dent to form on the woman’s forehead, the affidavit states.”

When the charge was reduced to a misdemeanor, Sutton’s attorneys issued a statement saying Sutton and the mother of his children hope to resolve the matter privately in the future. That means the NFL’s investigation may be limited to the information obtained from the diversion program. Florio explained that should Sutton complete the program, his record would be expunged as if those incidents never happened.

Still, the league has broad authority to impose any punishment it deems appropriate. After mistakes in handling Ray Rice’s domestic violence case, the NFL enacted a policy that suspends players for six games for domestic violence, but the league has shown it can increase or decrease that number depending on the circumstances. Ultimately, Mike Florio has not explicitly stated that the league would suspend Sutton, but he sees it as a possibility.

It’s impossible to predict how the NFL will react going forward. It hasn’t commented since Sutton signed with the Steelers on Wednesday morning. But the league certainly seems to have grounds to suspend Sutton to some extent. It could be a question of whether the NFL intervenes before or after the season. Still, Pittsburgh needs to be prepared to replace him before the season begins.