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Kansas City Chiefs player Isaiah Buggs turned himself in to police Thursday on charges of animal cruelty.
Buggs, whose team won the Super Bowl earlier this year, was soon released on a $600 bond.
Alabama authorities have accused the defensive lineman of second-degree cruelty to dogs after a gray-and-white pit bull and a black rottweiler mix were found “severely malnourished, emaciated and neglected” in March at a property that Buggs was renting.
Court documents said that at the time of their discovery, the animals had no access to food or water. A neighbor told authorities that the dogs had been left on a back porch for at least 10 days.
The rottweiler was allegedly “locked in a metal cage in direct sunlight” and later tested positive for canine parvovirus, which can cause gastrointestinal illness. In April, the pit bull was euthanized after showing continuous aggression and failing to respond to heartworm treatment.
Witnesses told police that Buggs moved out of the property more than one week before the dogs were recovered by authorities. Investigators said that Buggs on April 15 received a notice of termination after he neglected to pay around $3,000 in back rent.
Paul Sancya/Associated Press
According to Buggs’ agent, however, the NFL player “vehemently denies the truthfulness of the allegations and charges asserted against him.”
“Under no circumstance does Mr. Buggs condone the mistreatment of any animal,” the agent, Trey Robinson, said in a statement to the media. “The dogs at issue did not belong to him and he was unaware they remained at the property in question.”
The news comes after other Chiefs players have also landed in hot water for their conduct off the field. Kicker Harrison Butker received backlash for a controversial commencement speech earlier this month, and wide receiver Rashee Rice made headlines in April when he was charged over his role in a car crash.