Former Chiefs’ DL Isaiah Buggs faces hard labor one month after being arrested over animal cruelty charges (Image Credit: Getty)

Isaiah Buggs has been sentenced to hard labor after being arrested and found guilty of animal cruelty charges. Tuscaloosa County District Judge Joanne Jannik sentenced him to 365 days of hard labor in Tuscaloosa County, as per AL.com, with the order being to serve 60 days and the rest being suspended for two years depending on Isaiah Buggs’ behavior in that period. She also instructed him not to possess any guns and prohibited him from owning any cats or dogs.

He is expected to appeal the ruling to the circuit court. This legal issue goes back to March 28, 2024, when Tuscaloosa police had to respond to a call about the alleged neglect of two dogs on a property being rented by the footballer. The law enforcement reported, as per court records, one of them being a grey and white pitbull covered in feces. The other was a black rottweiler mix who was locked in a metal cage without food, water, or shade.

Isaiah Buggs facing other charges as well

Isaiah Buggs’ legal troubles are not over. Even if he is successful on appeal in this case, he has other, potentially more serious, jeopardy to deal with. He is facing second-degree charges related to burglary and domestic violence in another case, based on Tuscaloosa court records. He reportedly dragged the mother of his child down the stairs after breaking into her house at 5 a.m. with a tire iron.

None of this is ideal for the defensive lineman. After moving around a couple of teams, he had just won his first Super Bowl with the Chiefs. He had even signed a reserve/future contract with Kansas City immediately following that victory and it could have been the turning point of his career.

Instead, two allegedly bad decisions during the offseason have completely derailed his career. He has been cut by the Chiefs because of his off-field problems. And it looks unlikely that he will be sought after by any other team.

With one court decision out of the way, with change on appeal possible, and another more severe one reportedly awaited if the domestic violence charges are proven against him, Isaiah Buggs does not have much wiggle room. He will be facing the justice system for some time to come. The tragedy is that if he had made some better decisions, he could be currently with his former teammates in training camp looking to win back-to-back championships.

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Edited by Rit Nanda