New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce pleaded guilty to neglecting his pet pit bulls and paid a $1,300 fine Thursday in municipal court in Monroe Township, New Jersey.

The animal neglect charges stem from the week before the Super Bowl, when Pierce was in Arizona and his dogs got out and were discovered in a neighbor’s yard. Authorities say one of the dogs was underweight, suffering from a respiratory illness and lacking proper rabies shots.

Pierce’s girlfriend also pleaded guilty and was also fined $1,300. Their lawyer says they agreed to give the dogs away as part of their plea.

Pierce has long spoken about his love for pit bulls. Last year, when asked about the Michael Vick case, Pierce said, “Anybody who fights pit bulls is a punk. It gives my dogs a bad rap. Everybody loves my dogs because they’re good dogs. So of course I’m not pleased with it.”