Former NFL player Isaiah Buggs has been sentenced in Alabama to a year of hard labor after being found guilty of two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty, reports CBS News. Tuscaloosa County District Judge Joanne Jannik specified that Buggs is to serve 60 days, with the remainder suspended for two years dependent on his behavior.
Buggs, 27, is also prohibited from owning or being in the proximity of firearms, besides not being permitted to own dogs or cats. This ruling comes in the wake of his release by the Kansas City Chiefs on June 24, which followed his arrest on a separate domestic violence/burglary charge in Alabama. He posted a $5,000 bond after that arrest, as detailed in records from the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office obtained by The Guardian.
The animal cruelty charges arose after the Tuscaloosa Police Department discovered two severely malnourished dogs at a property rented by Buggs, resulting in the euthanization of one, according to ABC12. Neighbors reported the dogs had been left without food or water for at least 10 days. Buggs has maintained that he was not aware of the dogs' presence on his property, claiming through his agent that they did not belong to him and hinting at a "subversive campaign" targeting his business interests.
Buggs has appealed the sentence, and his attorney, Greg Gambril, told ABC12, "There was no guilty plea in the dog abuse case. Per District Court rules, he pled not guilty but stipulated to the underlying facts so the judge could find him guilty and he could appeal for the right to have a jury trial." Buggs' agent, Trey Robinson, declined to comment at present. The former lineman, who has played for Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions, received a Super Bowl LVIII ring with the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this year before becoming a free agent. He faces a preliminary hearing for the domestic violence case in August.
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