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LeShon Johnson
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LeShon Eugene Johnson (born January 15, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a running back and kick returner in the National Football League (NFL). He also played in the XFL.
Key Information
Earlier in his career, Johnson played college football for the Northern Illinois Huskies. Johnson earned unanimous All-American honors in 1993.
In the 1994 NFL draft, Johnson was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the third round. He also played professionally for the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants of the NFL and the Chicago Enforcers of the XFL. Johnson played professionally for seven total seasons.
In 2004, Johnson was arrested and pled guilty for crimes involving dog fighting ventures. Johnson continued his crimes involving dogs and dog fighting ventures until 2025, in which he was involved in the largest FBI raid on a dog fighting ring in history. 190 dogs were seized.
In a multi-day trial, the week of July 28th 2025, an Oklahoma federal jury convicted Leshon Eugene Johnson, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma on six felony counts. The felonies included violating the federal Animal Welfare Act’s prohibitions against possessing, selling, transporting, and delivering animals to be used in dog fighting ventures.
Early life
[edit]Johnson was born in Haskell, Oklahoma.[1] He was a standout high school running back at Haskell High School.[2] Johnson was a bull rider on the junior rodeo circuit, earning the nickname the "Cowboy," which followed him throughout his football career.
College career
[edit]Johnson attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, before transferring to Northern Illinois University as a junior. At Northern Illinois, he played for the Northern Illinois Huskies football team in 1992 and 1993. As a senior in 1993, Johnson was the leading college rusher with 1,976 yards on 327 carries for an average of 179.6 yards per game. Johnson finished sixth in the 1993 Heisman Trophy voting race, with five first-place votes. He played only two years for the Huskies, but his total yards mark of 3,314 still places him fifth on the team's all-time rushing list.
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 10+7⁄8 in (1.80 m) |
206 lb (93 kg) |
31+5⁄8 in (0.80 m) |
8+1⁄2 in (0.22 m) |
The Green Bay Packers selected Johnson in the third round (84th pick overall) of the 1994 NFL draft.[3] He played for the Packers in 1994 and 1995.[1] From 1995 to 1997, he was a member of the Arizona Cardinals.[1] In Johnson's career-best game, he rushed for 214 yards on 21 carries for the Cardinals versus the New Orleans Saints on September 22, 1996.[4] His career was interrupted by lymphoma cancer in 1998. He managed to make a comeback and subsequently started for the New York Giants in 1999.[4] His football career ended playing in the XFL for the Chicago Enforcers.
Criminal activity
[edit]Court documents show that Johnson ran a dog fighting operation in Broken Arrow and Haskell known as "Mal Kant Kennels." In 2004, he pled guilty to animal fighting charges for operating the "Krazyside Kennels." In 2005, he pled guilty to the crime of dog fighting in Hughes County, Oklahoma and received a five-year deferred sentence.[5][6]
In March 2025, the United States Department of Justice charged Johnson with possession of 190 pit bull dogs used for "animal fighting venture and for selling, transporting, and delivering a dog for use in an animal fighting venture." Authorities said this is believed to be the largest number of dogs taken from a single person in a federal dog-fighting case. If convicted, Johnson is facing a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and a $250,000 fine on each count.[7] Johnson was later convicted on all charges on August 5, 2025.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c National Football League, Historical Players, LeShon Johnson. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
- ^ databaseFootball.com, Players, LeShon Johnson. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
- ^ "1994 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ^ a b "LeShon Johnson Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
- ^ Rob Walton, "Okmulgee Prosecutor Responds to Activists," Tulsa World (March 15, 2006). Retrieved February 9, 2012.
- ^ George Dohrmann, "The House on Moonlight Road," Sports Illustrated (May 29, 2007). Retrieved February 9, 2012.
- ^ "Oklahoma man, former NFL running back, faces federal dog fighting charges following FBI raid in Broken Arrow". March 26, 2025.
- ^ read, Sean LeahyContributing writer·2 min (August 5, 2025). "Ex-NFL RB LeShon Johnson convicted on federal dogfighting charges". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
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LeShon Johnson
View on GrokipediaEarly life
LeShon Eugene Johnson was born on January 15, 1971, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He attended Haskell High School in Haskell, Oklahoma, where he was a standout running back. Johnson also participated in junior rodeo as a bull rider, earning the nickname "Cowboy," which followed him throughout his football career.[1][2][3][4]College career
Johnson attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College before transferring to Northern Illinois University (NIU). At NIU, he played during the 1992 and 1993 seasons. In 1993, Johnson led the NCAA in rushing yards with 1,976 on 327 carries (averaging 6.0 yards per carry and 179.6 yards per game) and finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting. He earned unanimous first-team All-American honors and was named Big West Conference Offensive Player of the Year as well as first-team All-Big West. Over his NIU career, he accumulated 3,314 rushing yards.[5][6]Professional career
LeShon Johnson was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round (84th overall) of the 1994 NFL Draft. He played for the Packers from 1994 to 1995, the Arizona Cardinals from 1995 to 1997, and the New York Giants in 1999.[1] During his tenure with the Cardinals, he had a career-high 214 rushing yards in a single game against the New Orleans Saints on September 22, 1996.[7] His career was interrupted in 1998 when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but he recovered and returned to play for the Giants in 1999.[8] Johnson later played in the XFL for the Chicago Enforcers in 2001. In his NFL career, Johnson recorded 253 rushing attempts for 955 yards (3.8 average) and 5 rushing touchdowns, along with 43 receptions for 434 yards and 2 receiving touchdowns, for a total of 7 touchdowns.[1][9]Criminal activity
In 2004, Johnson pleaded guilty to animal fighting charges related to his operation of "Krazyside Kennels" in Oklahoma. In 2005, he pleaded guilty to dog fighting charges in Oklahoma and received a five-year deferred sentence.[10] In August 2025, a federal jury convicted Johnson on six felony counts of possessing dogs for use in an animal-fighting venture related to his "Mal Kant Kennels" operation in Broken Arrow and Haskell, Oklahoma. Authorities seized 190 pit bull-type dogs from the operation. He was acquitted on 17 other counts. Johnson faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count.[10][11]See also
- National Football League
- Dog fighting