Chiefs DL Isaiah Buggs Accused Of Animal Cruelty

Update: 

The agent for Chiefs DL Isaiah Buggs released a statement in response to the accusation of animal cruelty against his client, via Tom Pelissero.

The agent says the dogs did not belong to Buggs and he was unaware they remained on the property. He adds Buggs believes he’s being targeted by the Tuscaloosa police department in an effort to get him to close a lounge he owns. 

Per Patch.com’s Ryan Phillips, Chiefs DL Isaiah Buggs has been accused of animal cruelty in a civil court filing in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. 

Phillips adds criminal charges are expected to be filed against Buggs as well, who played college football at Alabama in Tuscaloosa. 

The court documents state on March 28 police were called to an address with a report of two dogs that were left on the screened-in back porch. They found a pitbull on the porch surrounded by feces with no food or water. There was a Rottweiler mix in a cage as well with no access to food or water. 

Both dogs were emaciated and appeared malnourished, per the police, and a neighbor told them the dogs had been there at least 10 days. 

The report went on to say the residence appeared abandoned and was being rented to Buggs. Police added Buggs terminated the lease on April 15 due to owing back rent and neighbors said he moved out in mid-March. 

The pitbull was later euthanized due to health issues and displaying aggression at the shelter. 

Buggs, 27, was selected with the No. 192 overall pick in the sixth round out of Alabama by the Steelers in 2019. He was in the third year of a four-year, $2,667,294 contract that included a $147,294 signing bonus when the Steelers waived him. 

From there, the Raiders signed Buggs to a contract but released him shortly after. He eventually signed with the Lions in July. After playing out the 2022 season, he signed a two-year $6 million extension in Detroit. 

However, the Lions let him go during the 2023 season and he caught on with the Chiefs practice squad. Kansas City brought him back on a futures deal for the 2024 season. 

In 2023, Buggs appeared in 10 games for the Lions and recorded 12 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one fumble recovery and one pass deflection.

We’ll have more on Buggs as the news is available.