Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs is accused of animal cruelty in Alabama, Tuscaloosa Patch‘s Ryan Phillips reported on Wednesday, May 29.
“Buggs is expected to receive criminal charges in the case, but the civil petition says that on March 28, the Tuscaloosa Police Department received information of two dogs being left on the back porch of 5153 Diamond Circle,” the outlet reported.
“They found a gray and white pitbull on the screened-in back porch surrounded in feces, with no access to food or water… Those responding reported finding a black Rottweiler mix locked in a metal cage in direct sunlight with no access to food or water,” Phillips wrote.
#Chiefs DE Isaiah Buggs is facing two misdemeanor warrants issued by Tuscaloosa police for second-degree cruelty to dogs. Buggs is accused of leaving two dogs locked on his property with no access to food or water, according to @TuscaloosaPatch.https://t.co/gw6FfSdv43 pic.twitter.com/a0M5H1v7oy
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 29, 2024
Buggs’ lease at the residence was terminated on April 15, Phillips reported, because he owed over $3,100 in unpaid rent. The pitbull was euthanized by Tuscaloosa County Metro Animal Shelter “after becoming increasingly aggressive,” Phillips wrote. The Rottweiler mix “only weighed 52 pounds when it arrived at the shelter,” which is “dangerously low” for that breed.
“Authorities then reportedly tried to get in touch with Buggs on March 28, but were unsuccessful and the petition says as of Wednesday that two misdemeanor warrants have been obtained for second-degree cruelty to dogs or cats,” Phillips wrote.
“The petition asks the court to set a hearing date within the next 10 days to determine whether Buggs is fit to have custody of the surviving dog,” Phillips wrote.
Chiefs DT Isaiah Buggs’ Agent ‘Vehemently’ Denied All Allegations, Claims Police Targeting Client Over Local Business Dispute
Statement from #Chiefs DL Isaiah Buggs’ agent, Trey Robinson, who says his client has been the subject of police harassment and arrested two times over his refusal to close his Tuscaloosa hookah joint. pic.twitter.com/jX1aolYQLy
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 29, 2024
Trey Robinson, Buggs’ agent, said his client “vehemently denies the truthfulness” of these allegations and charges in a statement to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. “The dogs at issue did not belong to him and he was unaware they remained at the property in question.”
Robinson claimed the charges are “part of a concerted effort by the City of Tuscaloosa and its Police Department to besmirch Mr. Buggs’ name and reputation as part of an on-going subversive campaign to force the close of his local business Kings Hookah Lounge.”
Buggs’ agent continued, “These efforts are not new as Mr. Buggs was arrested at his business on misdemeanor charges on two separate occasions in the past two months, but each time no public record was made of these arrests. Rather, the City used the threat of pursuing and publicizing these arrests as leverage against Mr. Buggs by offering to drop them in exchange for his voluntary surrender of his business license.”
Isaiah Buggs Signed With the Chiefs Practice Squad in January
Buggs first signed with the Chiefs in January, joining Kansas City’s practice squad. The Alabama alum remained on the practice squad during the Chiefs’ postseason run to becoming back-to-back Super Bowl champions.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on February 13 that Kansas City signed Buggs to a futures contract.
Originally selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL draft, his best season came in 2022, when he recorded 46 total tackles, 10 quarterback hits and 1 forced fumble with the Detroit Lions.
Throughout his five-year career, Buggs registered 89 total tackles, 12 quarterback hits, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.
Chiefs News: Several Kansas City Players Face Legal Trouble This Offseason
#Chiefs WR Rashee Rice has turned himself in to police in Dallas.
His mugshot, via @FOX4: pic.twitter.com/3yV0n8vn0W— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 12, 2024
In addition to Buggs, several Chiefs players are experiencing a turbulent offseason. Most notably, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ No. 1 wide receiver, Rashee Rice, faces eight felony charges stemming from a multi-vehicle car crash on March 30.
A few weeks later, WFAA reported on May 7 that Rice was “under investigation for allegedly hitting a photographer at a club in Dallas.”
While conflicting reports swirl over the length of Rice’s suspension, there’s also a matter of when. Depending on how the legal process plays out, his suspension might get delayed until 2025. According to NFL insider James Palmer, the Chiefs are “expecting” Rice’s suspension to be “half a season at least.”
#Chiefs Wanya Morris and Chukwuebuka Godrick were arrested and charged with marijuana possession Friday in Johnson County, Kansas. The pair have since been released @KSHB41 pic.twitter.com/y4LismCMyT
— Aaron Ladd (@aaronladdtv) May 17, 2024
Earlier this month, Chiefs offensive linemen Wanya Morris and Chukwuebuka Godrick were arrested in Johnson County, Kansas, on misdemeanor possession of marijuana, Fox 4 KC reported. Morris and Godrick were released on a $2,500 bond.
KMBC provided further details of their arrest. “An affidavit said a Johnson County sheriff’s deputy saw a Jeep being driven without taillights on West 159th Street and U.S. 69 Highway,” the outlet reported.
“The deputy smelled a ‘strong odor’ of marijuana coming from the Jeep. Morris told the deputy he had weed in his bag on the front passenger floorboard. Godrick admitted to having weed in his pants pocket. The marijuana tested positive for THC.”
