The court has dismissed the charges of animal cruelty against Isaiah Buggs, former Alabama Football star and Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle, after new evidence emerged.
Last week, Assistant District Attorney Ashley Ross asked the circuit court in Tuscaloosa to dismiss the charges after Buggs provided the state with new evidence.
“On April 10, 2025, Defense counsel provided the State with exculpatory information,” Ross said in an April 15 court filing. “Namely, a recorded phone call between the Defendant, Otis Lee, and an unnamed woman in which Otis Lee admitted he was supposed to take care of the dogs while the Defendant was out of town, but did not.”
Court documents provide a portion of the recording.
“I gave Otis three responsibilities, take care of the dogs, take care of the house, and make sure the house was straight. Did you do that to your fullest Ability?” Buggs said on the call.
“No I didn’t,” Otis responded.
According to the court filing, “Otis later admits to running from the situation ‘because he panicked when he found out how much time was involved.’”
Circuit Judge Daniel Pruet signed an order dismissing the case on April 16.
In March 2024, Tuscaloosa police received information about two dogs left at the back of a home on Diamond Circle, which court records said Buggs had been renting. Neighbors said he moved out days before.
Police found a gray and white pit bull on the screened-in back porch surrounded by feces and a black Rottweiler mix locked in a metal cage in direct sunlight with no access to food or water.
In July 2024, a Tuscaloosa County judge sentenced Buggs to one year of hard labor and ordered him to serve 60 days of that, with the rest suspended for two years. Buggs appealed that conviction to the circuit court, which dismissed the charges last week.
Buggs played at the University of Alabama in 2017 and 2018 and was released by the Chiefs in June following his legal troubles, which included a charge of domestic violence and burglary that month. According to court records, Buggs, last month, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of criminal trespass in that case, for which the court sentenced him to two years of supervised probation.
In a statement on Sunday to AL.com from Greg Gambril, Buggs’ attorney, the former Alabama football player said he is now focused on “moving forward and continuing” his career after putting those legal challenges behind him.
“We are grateful to the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney’s Office for its careful review of the facts and evidence and for working toward a fair and just outcome,” Buggs said.
Gambril said Buggs entered into a “stipulate and appeal” arrangement with the District Attorney’s Office for the dog cruelty charges “to secure his release from custody and obtain medical care following emergency gallbladder removal surgery while he was in jail awaiting trial.
“Isaiah immediately took steps to appeal the case to Circuit Court, where the matter could be tried in front of a jury if need be,” he added.
Gambril states, “The resolution of these matters brings closure to all criminal proceedings involving Mr. Buggs in Tuscaloosa.”
