“We will not tolerate the victimization of vulnerable women here in Shelby County,” said Lieutenant Clayton Smith, commander of the Shelby County Drug Task Force to the press. His comments followed the arrest of fifteen men now accused of soliciting sex. The group reportedly includes former sports writer Robert Aaron Suttles, who left journalism to become the content director for “Yea Alabama,” the name, image, and likeness operation for Crimson Tide athletics. The arrests occurred during a human trafficking sting operation.
The University issued a statement to Al.com stating that Suttles is not a university employee. His name was also removed from Yea Alabama’s website pending an internal investigation. The NIL operation says Suttles has been suspended pending an internal review.
“I believe that no woman wakes up each morning and chooses to sell their bodies because they just want to,” said Lieutenant Clayton Smith of the Shelby County Drug Task Force. “There is always an underlying reason that they feel they have to do this to live and have no other option. We have a duty to protect them just like any other citizen. I want to thank the investigators for their passion and work in this operation.
The task force conducted a human trafficking operation in North Shelby County. That action led the arrest of fifteen people allegedly responsible for soliciting prostitution.
Multiple published reports include Robert Aaron Suttles as part of that group. He covered the sport beat for five years during his time at The Tuscaloosa News from 2006-18. Suttles later wrote for The Athletic until 2023. He most recently worked for Yea Alabama.
Court records reportedly show Suttles was arrested for solicitation/commission of prostitution after allegedly paying $100 for sexual activity. He was booked into the Shelby County Jail on July 23 on a $1,000 bond and bonded out.
The Alabama Public Radio news team spent fourteen months investigating human trafficking in the state. That effort attracted the attention of the U.S. State Department, which invited APR to address a foreign delegation including representatives of thirteen African nations, all of whom fight trafficking in their home countries. One positive result of APR’s presentation was the creation of an anti-human trafficking network of journalists, human rights defenders, and activists in Dakar, Senegal to fight organized crime, with a focus on trafficking.
APR has been invited seven more times, following that original talk, by the State Department and the Congressional Office of International Leadership, to speak to visiting delegations about human trafficking, the newsroom’s yearlong investigation into rural health, and avoiding news disinformation, among other topics. APR's audience included representatives of fifty nations.
