Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs was accused of animal cruelty on a civil petition filed Wednesday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, according to Patch.
The petition mentions that an investigator has obtained two misdemeanor warrants for cruelty to dogs or cats in the second degree.
The circumstances around the case, as painted by the petition, are dark. Tuscaloosa police received information March 28 about two dogs being left on the back porch of a house. When police and animal control arrived, they found a grey and white pit bull on a screened-in back porch and a black Rottweiler mix locked in a metal cage in direct sunlight. Neither dog had access to food or water.
Both dogs were reportedly seized and found to be “malnourished, emaciated, neglected,” with the property appearing to be abandoned. A neighbor told the authorities that the dogs had been on the porch for 10 days.
Investigators later determined the house was rented by Buggs, who was found to have been served with a notice of termination in April due to $3,116.90 in back rent owed. Witnesses told investigators that he moved out of the house on or about March 19.
Buggs has made $5.3 million in his NFL career, per Spotrac.
Sadly, the pit bull reportedly had to be euthanized at the end of April due to increased aggressiveness and a failed heartworm treatment. The Rottweiler mix tested positive for Parvo, an often fatal virus for dogs, and weighed only 52 points despite being 3 years old.
Attempts to get into contact with Buggs have reportedly been unsuccessful. The civil petitioner is seeking to formally seize custody of the dogs from the player and have him be taxed for their care, treatment, maintenance and disposition.
The Chiefs’ bizarre offseason rolls on
Buggs joined the Chiefs’ practice squad last January and remained with the team on a reserve/future contract in February. He entered the NFL after winning a national championship with Alabama as a sixth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers and later spent time with the Las Vegas Raiders and Detroit Lions.
Buggs might be a small player for the Chiefs in the grand scheme of things, but the allegations here continue what has been a bizarre and distracting offseason for the defending champions.
First, there was top wide receiver Rashee Rice’s charges in Dallas for racing into a crash on the highway, followed by an assault allegation that has since gone away. Later, kicker Harrison Butker’s commencement address became a political flashpoint (obviously, that’s not a crime, but it did become loud enough to reach Chiefs practice).
Then, there was a threat to leave Missouri over a failed sales tax referendum and two players being arrested for marijuana possession.
At this rate, Kansas City’s 2024-25 season opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 5 can’t come soon enough.
