Former NFL RB Leshon Johnson faces dogfighting charges after the seizure of 190 dogs

By Mike Florio

Former NFL running back Leshon Johnson, a third-round pick of the Packers in 1994, stands accused of running a massive dogfighting operation in Oklahoma.

The 21-count federal indictment accusing Johnson of possessing “190 pit bull type-dogs for use in an animal fighting venture” is, per the Department of Justice press release, “believed to be the largest number of dogs ever seized from a single person in a federal dog fighting case.”

Johnson allegedly operated “Mal Kant Kennels” in Broken Arrow and Haskell, Oklahoma. The animals were seized in October 2024 under the Animal Welfare Act. Johnson is accused of breeding “champion” and “grand champion” fighting dogs, matching dogs that have won three or five fights against other dogs for breeding.

Johnson, 54, faces up to five years in prison for each of the 21 counts. These charges come 21 years after he pleaded guilty to state animal fighting charges.

“Animal abuse is cruel, depraved, and deserves severe punishment,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in the press release. “The Department of Justice will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law and will remain committed to protecting innocent animals from those who would do them harm.”

Good. Do it wherever and whenever anyone mistreats dogs or other animals. (Even cats.)

Johnson played six years in the NFL. Johnson’s best season came in 1996, when he gained 634 rushing yards for the Cardinals.