Buggs, 29, hasn’t suited up in the league since being released by the Kansas City Chiefs in June 2024, but now any potential comeback is on hold.
A Career Sidelined by Off-Field Issues
Once a promising sixth-round pick out of Alabama, Buggs played three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers before joining the Lions, where he became part of Dan Campbell’s rebuild in 2022 and 2023. Over five NFL seasons, he appeared in 56 games, recording 89 tackles and 2 sacks.
But his time in Detroit and beyond has been overshadowed by serious legal issues.
In 2024, Buggs was convicted of misdemeanor animal cruelty after leaving two dogs unattended, leading to a 60-day hard labor sentence. That conviction was later overturned in April. He also faced domestic violence charges stemming from a June 2024 incident, when he allegedly broke into the home of the mother of his child and forcibly dragged her down the stairs. That arrest led to his release by Kansas City.
Ultimately, he struck a plea agreement, reducing the domestic violence charge to criminal trespass.
Why the NFL Acted
The league did not specify which incidents triggered Buggs’ 10-game suspension, but under the NFL’s personal conduct policy, a conviction isn’t necessary for discipline. The league can hand down punishment if it determines a player’s actions violated its standards.
For Buggs, this ruling likely closes the door on his career. After being out of football for over a year and now facing a lengthy suspension, it’s hard to see a team investing in the veteran lineman.
The Bottom Line
Isaiah Buggs went from being part of the Lions’ scrappy defensive line to facing suspension and legal battles that have left his football future in doubt. The NFL’s latest ruling feels like the final chapter in a career derailed as much off the field as it was on it.
A Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman faces a new criminal charge after being arrested on Sunday for the second time this offseason. Booking records from the Tuscaloosa, Alabama County Sheriff’s Office show that DT Isaiah Buggs, 27, has been charged with domestic violence/burglary.Buggs was arrested Sunday morning following a 911 call placed at about 5:30 a.m. on June 16. The 27-year-old was previously charged in May, also in Alabama, with a pair of misdemeanors after an animal control officer found two dogs locked on his property.The dogs were “severely malnourished, emaciated and neglected,” according to court documents.Court records show that the NFL veteran was being held on a $5,000 bond. It’s unknown if the 27-year-old currently remains in custody.In a statement provided by his agent, Trey Robinson, to the NFL Network, Buggs denied the allegations of animal cruelty and said that the charges were part of an effort from police to force the closure of a hookah lounge owned by Buggs in Tuscaloosa. “Isaiah vehemently denies the truthfulness of the allegations and charges asserted against him today. 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,” the statement reads. “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.”His agent and lawyer have yet to comment on the new charge. Buggs was initially drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019. He was signed to the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad and played most of the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Detroit Lions.The Chiefs signed Buggs to the practice squad in January 2024. He has yet to appear in a game with Kansas City. It’s been a controversial offseason for the Chiefs—highlighted by eight felony charges filed against wide receiver Rashee Rice in Dallas, Texas.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. —
A Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman faces a new criminal charge after being arrested on Sunday for the second time this offseason.
Booking records from the Tuscaloosa, Alabama County Sheriff’s Office show that DT Isaiah Buggs, 27, has been charged with domestic violence/burglary.
Buggs was arrested Sunday morning following a 911 call placed at about 5:30 a.m. on June 16.
The 27-year-old was previously charged in May, also in Alabama, with a pair of misdemeanors after an animal control officer found two dogs locked on his property.
The dogs were “severely malnourished, emaciated and neglected,” according to court documents.
Court records show that the NFL veteran was being held on a $5,000 bond. It’s unknown if the 27-year-old currently remains in custody.
In a statement provided by his agent, Trey Robinson, to the NFL Network, Buggs denied the allegations of animal cruelty and said that the charges were part of an effort from police to force the closure of a hookah lounge owned by Buggs in Tuscaloosa.
“Isaiah vehemently denies the truthfulness of the allegations and charges asserted against him today. 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,” the statement reads. “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.”
His agent and lawyer have yet to comment on the new charge.
Buggs was initially drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019. He was signed to the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad and played most of the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Detroit Lions.
The Chiefs signed Buggs to the practice squad in January 2024. He has yet to appear in a game with Kansas City.
It’s been a controversial offseason for the Chiefs—highlighted by eight felony charges filed against wide receiver Rashee Rice in Dallas, Texas.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs was accused of animal cruelty on a civil petition filed Wednesday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, according to Patch.
The petition mentions that an investigator has obtained two misdemeanor warrants for cruelty to dogs or cats in the second degree. A subsequent report from Patch revealed that Buggs was accused of shoving the Tuscaloosa police chief in April.
The circumstances around the case with the dogs, as painted by the petition, are dark. Tuscaloosa police received information March 28 about two dogs being left on the back porch of a house. When police and animal control arrived, they found a grey and white pit bull on a screened-in back porch and a black Rottweiler mix locked in a metal cage in direct sunlight. Neither dog had access to food or water.
Both dogs were reportedly seized and found to be “malnourished, emaciated, neglected,” with the property appearing to be abandoned. A neighbor told the authorities that the dogs had been on the porch for 10 days.
Investigators later determined the house was rented by Buggs, who was found to have been served with a notice of termination in April due to $3,116.90 in back rent owed. Witnesses told investigators that he moved out of the house on or about March 19.
Buggs has made $5.3 million in his NFL career, per Spotrac.
Isaiah Buggs is accused of leaving two dogs trapped without food or water for as many as 10 days. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
Sadly, the pit bull reportedly had to be euthanized at the end of April due to increased aggressiveness and a failed heartworm treatment. The Rottweiler mix tested positive for Parvo, an often fatal virus for dogs, and weighed only 52 pounds despite being 3 years old.
The civil petitioner is seeking to formally seize custody of the dogs from the player and have him be taxed for their care, treatment, maintenance and disposition.
Isaiah Buggs allegedly shoved Tuscaloosa chief of police
That isn’t the end of Buggs’ legal troubles, as Patch reports he faces accusations of menacing, assault and city code infractions at his Kings Hookah Lounge business. On April 14, police responded to an overcrowded parking lot and found 283 people inside the lounge, which has a maximum fire capacity of 83.
After the building was reportedly cleared and Buggs was cited, he allegedly became irate with officers, saying “these boys better not touch me” and “I’m not going in handcuffs.” Buggs allegedly left the business despite being told he wasn’t free to go, at which point Tuscaloosa police chief Bren Blankley tried to get him to come back.
Blankley allegedly placed a hand on Buggs’ shoulder, at which point the athlete shoved him into several officers:
“A scuffle ensued and it took several officers to place Buggs into handcuffs due to his lack of cooperation,” the arrest report reads. “Neither Buggs nor any officers were injured during the incident.”
Buggs was reportedly taken into custody and released on $1,600 bond.
There was also a reported incident in which Buggs and his brother Detarion allegedly got angry at a woman for rolling her eyes at one of them and confronted her with handguns. Detarion is also accused of throwing a cup at the woman’s car and hitting her in the face via a ricochet.
Isaiah Buggs’ agent responds to litany of accusations
Buggs agent Trey Robinson released a statement claiming that the charges against him are part of “an on-going subversive campaign” to force him to close the hookah lounge. He claimed the dogs on the porch did not belong to Buggs and that no public record was made of the two previous arrests, as part of an effort to leverage him to surrender his business license.
Robinson claimed he will bring to light the city and police department’s motivation for targeting Buggs’ business as part of his defense.
The full statement:
“Isaiah vehemently denies the truthfulness of the allegations and charges asserted against him today. 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.
“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 on-going subversive campaign to force the close of his local business Kings Hookah Lounge.
“These efforts are not new as Mr. Buggs was arrested at his business on misdemeanor charges on two separate occasions in the past two months, but each time no public record was made of these arrests. Rather, 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. 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.”
The Chiefs’ bizarre offseason rolls on
Buggs joined the Chiefs’ practice squad last January and remained with the team on a reserve/future contract in February. He entered the NFL after winning a national championship with Alabama as a sixth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers and later spent time with the Las Vegas Raiders and Detroit Lions.
