Earlier this week, former NFL running back LeShon Johnson was indicted on 21 counts related to dogfighting, several months after 190 dogs were seized from his possession.
On Thursday, a summary of the evidence against Johnson was filed in court.
Via Joe Mussatto of the Oklahoman, the evidence includes an electronic device seized from Johnson. It allegedly shows photos of dead and maimed dogs, and a photo of a dog on a treadmill.
The evidence against Johnson also includes a recorded phone conversation with an informant. On the call, Johnson allegedly refers to a specific dog bloodline as “nice and nasty.”
Johnson allegedly bred “champion” and “grand champion” fighting dogs. He allegedly developed dogfighting bloodlines for years — “and in some cases decades.” He previously pleaded guilty to dogfighting charges in 2005.
Johnson was a third-round pick of the Packers in 1994. He also played for the Cardinals and the Giants. In 1993, he was the leading rushing in college football, with 1,976 yards at Northern Illinois.
The Green Bay Packers have a new chief lawyer.
The team announced on Friday that Kevin Manara is the team’s new general counsel.
Incoming president/CEO Ed Policy made the announcement.
“We are excited to welcome Kevin to Green Bay,” Policy said in a team-issued release. “He brings a wealth of experience at both the league and team level that will be invaluable to the Packers and our overall operations. We look forward to his leadership contributions as a member of our Senior Staff.”
Manara has served as general counsel for the Cardinals since July 2023. Before that, he worked as senior V.P. and general counsel of the Raiders.
He previously worked for the league office from 2008 through 2021.
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, for the Packers, Cardinals, and Giants. Johnson’s best season came in 1996, when he gained 634 rushing yards for the Cardinals.
Tight end Travis Vokolek re-signed with the Cardinals on Monday, the team announced.
The Cardinals tendered Vokolek, an exclusive rights free agent, and he now is under contract for 2025.
Vokolek joined the Cardinals in December 2023 when they signed him off the Ravens’ practice squad.
In 2024, Vokolek was inactive for all but one game last season. He played 12 offensive snaps and two on special teams in Week 4 against Washington.
He played two games in 2023 in his only other career action.
Vokolek has no stats but is primarily a blocking tight end.
The team’s tight ends room includes Trey McBride, Tip Reiman, Elijah Higgins and Bernhard Seikovits as well as Vokolek.
Former NFL head coach and current Memphis Showboats coach Ken Whisenhunt has taken a leave of absence, less than a week before the start of the 2025 UFL season.
The league announced on Monday that Whisenhunt is stepping aside for personal reasons.
Offensive line coach Jim Turner becomes the interim coach of the Showboats.
“The impact that Ken has made on the culture of the Memphis Showboats in his brief time as head coach has been very impressive and we were excited to see the team perform in Week 1,” UFL president and CEO Russ Brandon and UFL executive V.P. of football operations Daryl Johnston said in a statement. “We take pride in the UFL being a family first league and we respect Ken’s decision to take a leave of absence for personal reasons at this time. We are fortunate to have Jim Turner in place to fill in as interim head coach and we are excited for his opportunity to lead the Showboats into the opening week of Season 2. If and when Ken Whisenhunt is ready to return to the UFL family, we will welcome him with open arms.”
Whisenhunt took the job in September 2024. He replaced John DeFilippo, who led the team to a 2-8 record last year.
The head coach of the Cardinals from 2007 through 2012, Whisenhunt took the Cardinals to a berth in Super Bowl XLII. He also coached the Titans from 2014 through 2015.
