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Ex-Lions DT Turns Heads With Instagram Story Hours Before Arrest

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Isaiah Buggs

Getty Isaiah Buggs playing for the Lions during the 2022 season.

Former Detroit Lions defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs is facing criminal charges for the second time in a matter of weeks, with the latest arrest coming just hours after a social media post talking about his personal “growth.”

Buggs was arrested on June 16 on a domestic violence/burglary charge, NFL.com reported, citing records from the Tuscaloosa County (Ala.) Jail. The 27-year-old had already faced charges of animal cruelty related to an incident in his native Alabama.

Buggs, who was released by the Lions last season and joined the Kansas City Chiefs in January, had just taken to Instagram on Saturday evening to open up about his personal growth and development.

“Proud of my growth as a man and father,” he wrote in a caption of an Instagram story.

Isaiah Buggs Charged Again

Reporter Shannon Delcambre of WVTM, citing the Tuscaloosa Police Department, reported that Buggs was arrested Sunday morning after a 911 call was placed at close to 5:30 a.m.

“The TPD said their investigation led to Buggs being charged with second-degree burglary/domestic violence,” Delcambre reported. “Buggs was taken to the Tuscaloosa County Jail and was being held on a 12-hour domestic violence hold and $5,000 bond.”

The arrest came after Buggs faced other misdemeanor charges last month. Ryan Phillips of the Tuscaloosa Patch reported that he was accused of leaving dogs on his Alabama property.

“Isaiah Buggs, 27, is expected to face misdemeanor criminal charges in the case but the civil petition says that on March 28, the Tuscaloosa Police Department received information of two dogs being left on the back porch of 5153 Diamond Circle,” the report noted.

A civil petition said that police and the City of Tuscaloosa’s Animal Control officers arrived at the property owned by Buggs to find two dogs without access to food or water, Phillips reported.

Buggs denied the previous allegations. His agent, Trey Robinson, released a statement to ESPN saying he had nothing to do with the dogs found on the property and accusing city officials of holding a grudge against him.

“The dogs at issue did not belong to him and he was unaware they remained at the property in question,” Robinson said. “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.”

Buggs had not yet released a statement on the latest charges.

Lineman Had Complicated Split With Lions

Buggs came into the league in 2019 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, spending three seasons there before joining the Lions in 2022. He appeared in 13 games in his first season, making 46 total tackles with one sack.

He had a complicated split with the Lions, first speaking out on social media after the team informed him that he would be benched for the season opener. Buggs went on to play in 10 games with three starts before he was released in January and signed with the Chiefs.

Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty

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