Former Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman found guilty of animal cruelty
By Jamiel Lynch, CNN
(CNN) — Former Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs has been found guilty in an Alabama court of animal cruelty charges, Tuscaloosa County court records show.
Buggs was arrested in May and charged with two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty.
He was sentenced on July 19 to “365 days of hard labor for Tuscaloosa County” and ordered to serve 60 days with credit from July 16, 2024, court documents show.
“It is hereby ordered and adjudged that the execution of the remaining 300 days be suspended for 2 years, pending the behavior of the defendant,” the judge’s order states.
Buggs cannot possess or be around firearms and shall not own dogs or cats, it adds.
He has appealed the sentencing.
“There was no guilty plea in the dog abuse case. Per District Court rules, he pled not guilty but stipulated to the underlying facts so the judge could find him guilty and he could appeal for the right to have a jury trial. He was released from jail on bond. The trial will be set in the future,” Buggs’ attorney Greg Gambril told CNN.
Buggs’ agent Trey Robinson said he had no comment at this time.
Buggs also has a pending domestic violence case in the county stemming from an arrest in June. At the time of that arrest, his agent told the NFL Network that Buggs “vehemently denies” the animal cruelty allegations, adding that the dogs didn’t belong to him. Robinson also said his client was being targeted as part of an ongoing “subversive campaign” to force the closure of a hookah lounge he owns in Tuscaloosa.
The domestic violence case is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in August.
Buggs was drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was also a member of the Las Vegas Raiders and Detroit Lions before signing with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he was on the practice squad. He received a ring after the team won Super Bowl LVIII earlier in 2024. He was later released and is currently a free agent.
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CNN’s Jacob Lev, Homero De la Fuente and Sarah Dewberry contributed to this report.
