Chiefs defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs turned himself into police in Tuscaloosa on Thursday morning after allegedly mistreating two dogs, one of which had to be euthanized as a result.
Police had issued arrest warrants for Buggs over charges of two counts of second-degree animal cruelty on Wednesday and a day later he surrendered at the Tuscaloosa County Jail, WIAT reported.
The NFL lineman was released on a $600 bond after he was booked at the jail and has a hearing set for June 13.
Buggs is facing animal cruelty charges after a neighbor reported that two dogs had been left on the back porch of a home that the Chiefs player was renting and when animal control arrived, they found a gray and white pit bull and a black rottweiler without access to food and water, according to multiple reports.
The police report came in on May 28, after the dogs had allegedly been outside for 10 days.
One dog had to be euthanized while the other is being treated for Parvo, a highly contagious viral disease, WIAT reported.
Buggs refused to answer questions from a reporter outside the Tuscaloosa County Jail upon his release.
Video showed Buggs walking out in a black hoodie with the sleeves cut off and black sweatpants.
He put his hands up in front of the camera as the reporter approached him and said, “don’t walk up in front of me.”
Buggs got into a Dodge Ram pickup truck and left the jail.
Trey Robinson, the agent for Buggs, denied any wrongdoing by the NFL player and claimed all of this stemmed from an “on-going subversive campaign” to force Buggs to close down the hookah lounge he owns in Tuscaloosa.
Robinson said as part of his statement on Wednesday that Buggs does not “condone the mistreatment of any animal” and that the dogs weren’t his nor was he aware that they had remained at the property.
Buggs’ agent also said that his client had been arrested twice at his business in the past two months but there was no public record of the arrests.
Robinson claimed that the city was trying to use it as “leverage” to get Buggs to give up his business license in order for them not to go public.
“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,” Robinson added.
