Former Alabama football standout and Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs was booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail Thursday on animal cruelty charges.
The 27-year-old was released soon after posting $600 bond.
The charges stem from the discovery of two dogs – a pitbull and a Rottweiler mix – found at his rental home in Tuscaloosa after he moved out.
The Pitbull was on a screened porch surrounded by feces and the Rottweiler mix was locked in a metal cage in direct sunlight no access to food and water.
Both dogs were “severely malnourished, emaciated, and neglected,” authorities contend, and the Pitbull was later euthanized.
“Isaiah vehemently denies the truthfulness of the allegations and charges asserted against him today,’' his agent, Trey Robinson, said in a statement to AL.com. “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.”
Robinson contends the charges are part of an ongoing effort by the City of Tuscaloosa and the Tuscaloosa Police Department to besmirch Buggs’ name and reputation as part of a “subversive campaign to force the close of his local business Kings Hookah Lounge.”
Robinson wrote that Buggs was arrested twice on misdemeanors at the lounge in two months, but the records were not made public.
One of those included allegations that Buggs shoved Tuscaloosa police Chief Brent Blankley, pushing him into several officers, according to Tuscaloosa Municipal Court records released Thursday.
The other involved Buggs and his brother, Detarion Buggs, reportedly pulling guns on a woman as she left the lounge, with Detarion Buggs throwing a cup that ended up injuring her face, records state.
“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,” the statement read.
Buggs, Robinson wrote, declined that offer because he has “serious concerns” about the city’s motives for “deciding to target his business.” Buggs plans to “bring to light” those motives in his legal defense against the animal cruelty charge, the statement read.
Buggs’ representatives said Thursday they have no further comment at this time.
Tuscaloosa police responded to Kings Hookah Lounge on Greensboro Avenue in the early-morning hours of Sunday, April 14, following the University of Alabama’s A-Day game on Saturday. There were complaints that parking from the lounge had spilled over into an adjacent business.
The business, records state, has a maximum capacity of 83 and authorities counted 283 people inside, calling it “grossly overcrowded.”
Officers made contact with Buggs, who was given a citation for overcrowding in violation of fire codes.
Buggs, records state, became irate and said, “These boys better not touch me,” and “I’m not going in handcuffs.”
Buggs started to walk away, and the police chief put his hand on Buggs shoulder to escort him back into the building.
“Buggs turned around and shoved Chief Blankley into several officers,’’ records state. “A scuffle ensued, and it took several officers into handcuffs.”
No one was injured.
Buggs was charged with resisting arrest and two outstanding writs on violations from 2023 involving overcrowding at the lounge and a violation of the ordinance “alleys kept free of rubbish/trash.”
He was booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail on bonds totaling $1,600.
The following week, Buggs was allegedly again involved in an incident at the lounge.
A woman said that on April 23, she was leaving the lounges when Buggs and his brother both were yelling at her to leave.
Detarion Buggs, according to charging documents, threw a cup at the woman’s car which bounced back and hit her in the face. One of the brothers got mad because they thought she was rolling her eyes, and Detarion Buggs said, “Alright, I got something for that,’’ and pushed the woman.
Records state Isaiah Buggs was already holding a gun and his brother went and got a gun. Both pointed the guns at the woman’s car and told her to leave.
She left and later filed a police report, saying she didn’t call police that night because it was “too hectic.” Officers noted a small mark below her eye where the cup is believed to have hit her.
Buggs was charged with menacing.
Then, on April 25, he was charged with aggravated assault. While he was being served with the menacing warrant, authorities say, Buggs reached into his pocket and had a gun.
As for the animal cruelty charges, records state the dogs were found at a home rented by Buggs, who neighbors say moved out in March. He reportedly owed more than $3,000 in back rent when he left.
On March 28, Tuscaloosa police received information of two dogs being left on the back of a home on Diamond Circle.
Tuscaloosa police and City of Tuscaloosa Animal Control went to the house and found a grey and white Pitbull on the screened-in back porch surrounded by feces, according to court records. They also found a black Rottweiler mix locked in a metal cage in direct sunlight with no access to food or water.
Both animals were seized that day because they were “severely malnourished, emaciated, neglected,” and the residence appeared to be abandoned.
A neighbor told investigators the house had been rented by Buggs. A notice of termination had been served on Buggs on April 15 because $3,116.90 in back rent was owed, according to the documents. Witnesses told police Buggs moved out of the house about March 19.
The Pitbull was euthanized at the Tuscaloosa County Metro Animal Shelter at the end of April because of the animal’s “increasingly aggressiveness” and failed heartworm treatment provided by the shelter.
The Rottweiler, records state, weighed 52 pounds which experts said was extremely low for a 3-year-old dog of that breed.
Authorities, according to the documents, were unable to get in touch with Buggs.
Authorities obtained two misdemeanor warrants against Buggs for second-degree animal cruelty.
The documents, filed in civil court, said Buggs is “unable, unwilling or unfit” to adequately provide for the dogs and is seeking to have permanent custody awarded to the shelter.
Buggs, 27, played at the University of Alabama in 2017 and 2018.
Buggs re-signed with the Chiefs on Feb. 14 after joining Kansas City’s practice squad in time to go to Super Bowl LVIII with the team last season.
Buggs spent most of his 2023 season with the Detroit Lions before being released on Jan. 2. He signed with the Chiefs two days later.
A sixth-round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, Buggs had played 433 defensive snaps in 29 games in three seasons with Pittsburgh when the Steelers released him the day before their finale for the 2021 campaign.
Signed by the Lions just before training camp in 2022, Buggs played in all 17 games, with 13 starts, for Detroit that season. He recorded 46 tackles, one sack, 10 quarterback hits, two pass breakups and one forced fumble while on the field for 755 defensive snaps.
Rather than become an unrestricted free agent last offseason, Buggs signed a two-year, $4.5 million contract extension with the Lions that included a $1 million signing bonus and $2.1 million in guaranteed money.
But during the 2023 season, Buggs was designated as a game-day inactive six times by the Lions.
He made three starts in 10 games and recorded 12 tackles and one sack before Detroit waived him with a game remaining on its regular-season schedule.