Despite Keeping Rashee Rice Onboard, Chiefs Release Isaiah Buggs After DL Gets Arrested for Domestic Violence Charges

The Kansas City Chiefs have been having an interesting offseason for sure. It started with Rashee Rice being involved in a car crash that resulted in a $10 million civil claims lawsuit. Then Harrison Butker made headlines for his controversial commencement speech. To add fuel to the fire, Isaiah Buggs was initially accused of maltreating a dog, a misdemeanor for which he was arrested. A little over a week ago, he was arrested for a second time for an incident in Alabama.

The authorities nabbed the Chiefs’ defensive tackle for charges of burglary and domestic violence. While the Chiefs maintained complete radio silence till now, after his second arrest during this offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs have decided to let Isaiah Buggs go. NFL insider Tom Pelissero broke the news on X.

Isaiah Buggs’ stint with the Chiefs was short-lived. Since Isaiah was not established as an integral part of Kansas City’s defense, the Chiefs ultimately released the defensive lineman after his second arrest. One cannot help but notice this outcome to be the stark opposite of the treatment afforded to Rashee Rice. On March 30, while driving his Lamborghini at the speed of 119 mph, Rashee Rice collided with another car and caused a multi-vehicle accident in Dallas. The police arrested Rice and SMU defensive back Teddy Knox, who was also involved in the freeway car crash, on counts of aggravated assault and collision involving injury.

Later, Rashee Rice issued a public apology on Instagram, writing, “I take full responsibility for my part in this matter and will continue to cooperate with the necessary authorities. I sincerely apologize to everyone impacted in Saturday’s accident.” Despite putting the Chiefs in the limelight for all the wrong reasons, Rashee Rice has received continuous support from Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. Andy Reid addressed the Dallas car crash during a press conference after Phase 3 of the OTAs. The Chiefs’ head coach said, “We keep open communication there, for sure. And then we just let the process play its way out there.”

Patrick Mahomes called the accident a “big mistake” and urged Rashee Rice to get on the path to become a good person. “Right now, we’re just going to keep trying to do whatever we can to get him on the right path, so that he can be a great football player, obviously, but we want him to be a great person, too,” said Chiefs star quarterback.

Rashee Rice has been practicing with Patrick Mahomes continuously and has earned praise for his on-field talent. Till now, there has been no indication from the Chiefs to release or penalize the wide receiver. It’s clear they have decided to let the law run its course, and in the meantime, treat Rice as a part of their team. Buggs, however, was not so lucky.

Isaiah Buggs’ murky past

The Chiefs signed Isaiah Buggs on February 14 this year to a one-year contract with $350,000 guaranteed. The 6th-round draft pick began his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, then played for the Detroit Lions during the 2022-2023 season, and was released ahead of the playoffs. Buggs’ legal troubles began when he was charged with animal cruelty by the Tuscaloosa, Alabama police.

Ari Merov reported on X that Isaiah Buggs was facing two arrest warrants for second-degree animal cruelty that resulted from the Louisiana native keeping the animals in a cage without food and water. A neighbor reported the mistreatment to the police, who then arrested the football player after recovering the abused animal from the premises.

This was just the beginning, as on June 16, Isaiah Buggs was arrested once again after a 5:30 am 911 call outlining a violent interaction. As per court records, Buggs broke into the house of the mother of his child with a tire iron and dragged her down the stairs. As per his lawyer, Isaiah Buggs maintains his innocence, denying all charges against him.