Former NFL Player Settles Mississippi Pit Bull Lawsuit

A former NFL player has settled a lawsuit that alleged he allowed his pack of pit bulls to roam freely in his Mississippi neighborhood.

The Oxford Eagle reports that Derrick Burgess has been sued in 2009 in Lafayette County Circuit Court by Brent and Jennifer Johnson who claimed that Burgess allowed their 10 to 15 pit bulls to run freely in their neighborhood on Mississippi Highway 328.

The Johnsons had claimed the dogs killed several of their pet kittens and chickens and have been aggressive toward their children and other neighbors.

Burgess denied he allowed his dogs to “run wild.”

Circuit Court Judge Robert Elliot dismissed the lawsuit Monday after the two sides reached a settlement.

According to court document, Burgess agreed to keep his dogs off the Johnsons’ property. Burgess also will installed an underground containment system and fight the dogs with collars to keep the dogs on his property.

Burgess played football for the University of Mississippi. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft and played for the Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots.