Isaiah Buggs, a former defensive lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs, has been found guilty of two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty.
Last week, Judge Joanne Jannik sentenced Buggs to a year of hard labor, requiring him to serve 60 days. The remainder of the sentence will be suspended for two years, contingent on the defendant’s behavior. Buggs has indicated his intention to appeal the conviction.
At 27 years old, he is prohibited from possessing firearms and is also banned from owning dogs or cats.
On June 24, the Chiefs released Buggs, just eight days after his second recent arrest in Alabama. He was taken into custody on a charge of domestic violence/burglary and later released on a $5,000 bond, as per the records from the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
The animal cruelty charges were filed after officers from the Tuscaloosa Police Department discovered two dogs at Buggs’ rented residence that were found to be “seriously malnourished” and “emaciated.” Court documents indicated that a neighbor claimed the animals had been left unattended for at least 10 days without access to food or water, leading to the euthanization of one of the dogs. Witnesses reported that Buggs had vacated the house a week prior to the officers’ discovery.
Trey Robinson, Buggs’ agent, released a statement asserting that the dogs did not belong to Buggs. Robinson claimed that Buggs was unaware that the dogs remained on the premises and that he was the target of a “subversive campaign” aimed at shutting down a hookah lounge he owns.
The defensive tackle played collegiate football for Alabama and enjoyed a three-season stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers before spending two years with the Detroit Lions. Over the course of his career, he has started 23 games and participated in 56, accumulating 89 tackles and two sacks. Buggs had entered into a $1.3 million contract with Kansas City for the forthcoming season.
