Ex-Lions CB Sutton charged with misdemeanor domestic battery

Former Detroit Lions cornerback Cam Sutton was charged Monday with domestic battery, one day after he turned himself in an alleged domestic violence incident reported in early March, said the Florida State Attorney's Office.

Sutton, 29, appeared in Hillsborough County Circuit Court in Tampa early Monday and was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery, said Erin Maloney, communications director for the Office of the State Attorney for the 13th Judicial Circuit. Sutton was "released on his own recognizance," Maloney said in an email to The Detroit News.

If convicted, Sutton faces up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine, according to Florida law. Maloney could not provide Sutton's next court date.

Sutton was initially accused of domestic battery by strangulation, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Sutton's attorneys, Todd Foster of Todd Foster Law Group and Jason Setchen of Athlete Defender, issued a news release Monday, describing the misdemeanor incident as a "family matter," but did not release details of the alleged incident.

"Both Mr. Sutton and the mother of his children request privacy in this matter, as they view this as a family matter and wish to resolve it as a family," Foster and Setchen said.

Foster and Setchen could not immediately be reached Monday for comment.

Police were called at about 4:35 a.m. March 7, but Sutton had fled before they arrived, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has said. News of an arrest warrant issued for Sutton was published on social media March 20. Sutton had been in Michigan for a Lions function earlier that day and returned to the state shortly after the incident, The News previously reported.

According to the Sheriff's Office, Sutton's attorney contacted police March 25 and said Sutton was going to Tampa to turn himself into authorities. Sutton turned himself in around 8:24 p.m. Sunday, the Sheriff's Office reported.

The Lions waited one day after the warrant was issued before releasing Sutton, who had signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the team as a free agent the previous offseason. The team released him with cause, starting a process that could potentially negate his $10.5 million guaranteed salary for 2024.

Sutton spent his first six seasons with the Steelers, and started all 17 games and three playoff games for the Lions in 2023.

jaimery@detroitnews.com