KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs "vehemently denies" mistreating dogs found malnourished, emaciated and neglected at a home in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
According to a report by Ryan Phillips of the Tuscaloosa Patch reveal the Tuscaloosa Police Department received information on March 28 of two dogs left on the back porch of a Tuscaloosa house.
The documents are a petition for an animal protection hearing and ex parte order.
The city's animal control department, along with police, found a grey and white pitbull on a screened back porch 'surrounded in feces with no access to food or water,'" according to court documents.
In addition, a black Rotweiler mix was locked in a metal cage in direct sunlight with no access to food or water, the court document states.
"Under no circumstance does Mr. Biggs condone the mistreament of any animal," according to a statement released Wednesday afternoon by Buggs' agent, Trey Robinson. "The dogs at issue did not belong to him and he was unaware they remained at the property in question."
A neighbor told police the dogs had been on the back porch "for at least 10 days in the same location Animal Control and TPD found the dogs," according to the court document.
Buggs had been renting the house, but witnesses told police he moved out around March 19. He was served with a notice of termination on April 15 because he owed more than $3,000 in back rent.
The pitbull was euthanized by the city's animal shelter near the end of April.
The court document obtained by Phillips also states the black Rotweiler mix tested positive for Parvo and weighed only 52 pounds.
An investigator obtained two misdemeanor warrants for cruelty to dogs or cats in the second degree, according to the court documents obtained by Phillips.
"Furthermore, we believe the City of Tuscaloosa's decision to file the 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," according to the statement from Buggs' agent.
Buggs played for the Pittsburgh Steelers for three seasons and played two seasons for the Detroit Lions.
The Chiefs signed Buggs to their practice squad on January 4, 2024.
—
