Former Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs has been convicted of animal cruelty in an Alabama court, according to Tuscaloosa County court documents.
Buggs was arrested in May and charged with two charges of misdemeanour animal abuse.
He was sentenced on July 19 to “365 days of hard labor for Tuscaloosa County” and ordered to serve 60 days with credit beginning July 16, 2024, according to court documents.
“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 ruling adds.
Buggs are not permitted to carry or be in the presence of firearms, nor are they permitted to own dogs or cats.
He has appealing the sentence.
“No guilty pleas were entered in the dog mistreatment case. According to District Court regulations, he pleaded not guilty but agreed to the underlying facts, allowing the judge to find him guilty and appeal for the right to a jury trial. He was released from jail on a bond. “The trial will be scheduled in the future,” Buggs’ attorney Greg Gambril told CNN.
Trey Robinson, Buggs’ agent, claimed he had no comment at the time.
Buggs also has a pending domestic violence case in the county, which stems from an arrest in June. At the time of his arrest, Buggs’ agent told the NFL Network that he “vehemently denies” the animal cruelty claims, and that the dogs did not belong to him. Robinson also claimed that his client was being targeted as part of an ongoing “subversive campaign” to demand the closure of a hookah lounge he owned in Tuscaloosa.
The domestic violence lawsuit is set for a preliminary hearing in August.
Buggs was selected in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also played with the Las Vegas Raiders and the Detroit Lions before joining the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad. He acquired a ring when his team won Super Bowl LVIII earlier in 2024. He was later released and is now a free agent.