Isaiah Buggs, a former Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman, has been convicted of two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. He was sentenced to a year of hard labor, with 60 days to be served and the remainder suspended pending his behavior.
Isaiah Buggs, a former Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman, has been convicted of two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. Tuscaloosa County District Judge Joanne Jannik sentenced Buggs to a year of hard labor last week, ordering him to serve 60 days. The rest of his sentence would be suspended for two years pending his behavior.
Buggs is prohibited from owning or being around guns and from owning dogs or cats. He is facing another criminal charge this offseason, having been arrested in June for domestic violence/battery.
Former Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Lineman Isaiah Buggs Convicted of Animal Cruelty
The 27-year-old turned himself in late last month in Tuscaloosa for the animal cruelty charges after two dogs were allegedly found severely malnourished, emaciated, and neglected on the back porch of a rental home he was staying at.
Buggs was accused of leaving a gray and white pit bull and a black rottweiler on the back porch of the home in Tuscaloosa without food or water. The pit bull was free to roam in a screened-in porch, but the rottweiler was allegedly in a metal cage in direct sunlight.
Former Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Lineman Isaiah Buggs Convicted of Animal Cruelty
Court documents obtained by Tuscaloosa Patch said police received information on March 28 that dogs were left on the porch. Witnesses claimed Buggs moved out of the home on March 19 due to owing over $3,100 in rent.
Last month, while he awaited his fate on the animal cruelty charges, he was arrested and booked into Tuscaloosa County Jail for domestic violence/burglary, according to jail records. The Chiefs released him a little over a week after the domestic arrest.
Former Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Lineman Isaiah Buggs Convicted of Animal Cruelty
Buggs, a sixth-round pick out of Alabama by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019, joined the Chiefs as a member of their practice squad before their playoff run, which ended in another Super Bowl title. He had previously played for the Detroit Lions.
Buggs' conviction for animal cruelty is a reminder of the importance of responsible pet ownership. All animals deserve to be treated with care and compassion, and those who neglect or abuse them should be held accountable for their actions.
