A former Green Bay Packers running back and third-round draft pick has been sentenced to spend the next several years in federal prison for his role in operating a large-scale dogfighting and trafficking ring in Oklahoma.
According to a September 10 news release from the U.S. Department of Justice, former Packers running back LeShon Johnson — a third-round pick in the 1994 NFL draft — was sentenced to 60 months in prison, three years of supervised release and a $30,000 fine on Thursday following his conviction on six felony dogfighting-related charges.
Johnson had pleaded guilty to previous dogfighting charges in Oklahoma state court in 2004, receiving a five-year deferred sentence. Per the DOJ’s release, though, he “continued to traffic dogs for illegal fighting despite a 2004 state conviction for similar conduct,” prompting a federal investigation into his latest venture in the same state.
The release also stated that authorities seized 190 dogs from Johnson’s property after his conviction, marking the largest number ever seized from a single individual in a federal dogfighting case.
“LeShon Johnson will face justice for building another particularly egregious and violent dogfighting scheme,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. in Thursday’s release. “As Johnson was well aware, dogfighting is a felony in all 50 states. To anyone attempting to build violent and illicit business schemes: you can run, but you can’t hide from the Department of Justice.”
LeShon Johnson Had Short-Lived Tenure With Packers
The Packers took a chance on Johnson more than two decades ago when they selected him with the No. 84 overall pick in the 1994 draft, but his time in Green Bay went by quicker than his alleged gap between illegal dogfighting operations.
Johnson played 12 games as a rookie for the Packers in 1994, but he netted just 99 yards on 26 carries and was the clear third fiddle in the running back room behind Edgar Bennett — who is currently in the Packers Hall of Fame — and Reggie Cobb.
Things only got worse for Johnson in his second season in 1995, sitting out until the midway point in the season and then only playing in two games — with two carries for a net loss of 2 yards — before the team benched him. In the end, the Packers cut him before the end of the season, leaving him to finish the year with the Arizona Cardinals.
Johnson wound up averaging 4.4 yards per carry in 32 games for the Cardinals between 1995 and 1997, but his NFL career hit a snag in 1998 when he was diagnosed with lymphoma. He returned in 1999 for a brief stint with the New York Giants and finished his professional career in the XFL with the Chicago Enforcers.
Packers Still Awaiting NFL Judgment on Josh Jacobs
Johnson is not the only running back who has worn the Packers’ green and gold and recently found himself in legal trouble.
On September 10, Packers running back Josh Jacobs pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property in Brown County (Wisconsin) Court. The court convicted him on the battery charge and fined him $10,000.
Jacobs also had a deferred judgment agreement accepted on the criminal damage to property charge on five conditions: no further criminal acts; no contact with the victim; court supervision; counseling; and pay restitution to the victim.
Jacobs will have the criminal damage to property charge dismissed in 12 months if he completes the deferred judgment agreement, but the Packers are still awaiting judgment from the NFL on their star running back.
The NFL conducts its own investigations into potential violations of its player conduct policy and could suspend Jacobs for a portion of the 2026 season based on its conclusions. He is currently on the commissioner’s exempt list and will expectedly miss at least the Packers’ first game of the regular season on September 13.
Former Packers Running Back Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison