Former Alabama DL Claims Harassment

On Wednesday afternoon, Tuscaloosa police put out a warrant for the arrest of former Alabama defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs on animal cruelty charges after police allegedly found two severely neglected dogs abandoned at a house he rented.

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Later on Wednesday night, Buggs and his lawyer, Trey Robinson, released a statement to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero denying the claims.

In the statement, Buggs and his lawyer said,

"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 says.

"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 subservice campaign to force the close of his local business Kings Hookah Lounge."

Robinson's statement also alleged that Buggs had been arrested twice in the past few months, with no record of the arrests, and the city threatening to publicize them in an effort to get Buggs to surrender his business license.

The statement goes on to say, "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."

Buggs was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL draft. Buggs spent three seasons in Pittsburgh.

In 2022, Buggs signed with the Detroit Lions, starting 13 games for Detroit.

Buggs recently signed with the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad and was with the team for their victory over the San Francisco 49ers in February's Super Bowl. He had signed a reserves/future contract after the end of the season.

You can read the original report of the arrest by the Tuscalosoa Thread here.

Wyatt Fulton is the TIde 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.