Isaiah Buggs, a defensive lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs, has been accused of animal cruelty in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, according to civil records obtained by the Tuscaloosa Patch and 247Sports.
On Wednesday, May 29, two misdemeanor warrants were obtained for Buggs for second-degree cruelty to dogs or cats.
This comes after police allegedly found two malnourished dogs at his home during an inspection earlier this year.
The Tuscaloosa Police Department reportedly received a tip on March 28 about two dogs being left on the back porch of Buggs' rented home, which the 27-year-old athlete was renting
When police and animal control officers arrived at the address, they found a grey and white pitbull on the back porch, surrounded by feces and with no access to food or water. They also found a black Rottweiler mix locked inside a cage in direct sunlight with no access to food or water.
According to 247Sports, a neighbor informed the police that the dogs had been on the back porch for at least 10 days.
Buggs is currently facing misdemeanor criminal charges after authorities seized his dogs, described as "malnourished, emaciated and neglected."
The Rottweiler mix was found weighing just 52 pounds by animal control officials, and it later tested positive for parvovirus at the shelter, according to the petition obtained by the outlet.
Buggs was renting the home from Omega Realty Group through April 15, but witnesses told police that the Chiefs lineman moved out of the home on or around March 19, as reported by Tuscaloosa Patch.
Isaiah Buggs
The pitbull was euthanized in April by the Tuscaloosa County Metro Animal Shelter due to its increasingly aggravated behavior and a failed heartworm treatment, according to 247Sports.
Authorities attempted to reach Buggs during the March 28 visit to his home, but Tuscaloosa Patch reported that they were unsuccessful.
The petition filed on May 29 requests a hearing date to be set within the next 10 days.
The hearing will determine whether or not Buggs will be granted custody of the surviving dog.
Buggs' agent, Trey Robinson, released a statement to NFL Network later Wednesday denying the claims made by the court filing.
"Isaiah vehemently denies the truthfulness of the allegations and charges asserted against him today," Robinson wrote. "Under no circumstance does Mr. Buggs condone the mistreatment of any animal. The dogs at issue did not belong to him and he was unaware they remained at the property in question.
"Further, we believe the City of Tuscaloosa's decision to file charges today is part of a concerted effort by the City of Tuscaloosa and its Police Department to besmirch Mr. Buggs' name and reputation as part of an ongoing subversive campaign to force the close of his local business Kings Hookah Lounge.
"These efforts are not new as Mr. Buggs was arrested at his business on misdemeanor charges on two separate occasions in the past two months, but each time no public record was made of these arrests. Rather, the City used the threat of pursuing and publicizing both the allegations filed today and these arrests as leverage against Mr. Buggs by offering to drop and not pursue them in exchange for his voluntary surrender of his business license.
"Mr. Buggs declined the City's offer as he has serious concerns about the City's and Police Department's motivation for deciding to target his business which he plans to bring to light as part of his defense of the allegations and charges filed against him and his reputation and business."
Buggs rose to football fame as a star for Alabama before he was drafted into the NFL by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019. He was waived by the Detroit Lions in 2023 and signed to the Chiefs' practice squad in Jan. 2024, before winning the Super Bowl in February.