Illegal gambling charges against Patriots’ wide receiver have been dropped

Illegal gambling charges against an NFL wide receiver have reportedly been dropped.

ESPN reported Tuesday that the state of Louisiana is dismissing underage gambling and computer fraud charges against Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, a former star player at LSU.

Boutte, 22, was arrested in January in Baton Rouge over allegations of illegal sports bettingwhile he was in college.

Boutte was accused of using an alias account to place more than 8,900 wagers when he was 20 years old and not allowed to gamble.

At least 17 of them were on NCAA football games, including at least six involving LSU.

Boutte had been participating in spring practices with the Patriots with head coach Jerod Mayo telling the media the Patriots would “wait to hear from the league going forward.”

Investigators assigned to the Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division did not say why the charges were dropped.

A native of New Iberia, Louisiana and a former top prospect out of high school, Boutte caught 131 passes for 1,782 yards and 16 touchdowns in three seasons at LSU. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

He appeared in five games, catching two passes for 19 yards during his rookie season in New England, but could be in danger of being cut this season.

The Patriots took two receivers — Washington’sJa’Lynn Polkin the second round and Central Florida’sJavon Bakerin the fourth round, in the 2024 NFL draft.

DeMario “Pop” Douglas, Kendrick Bourne and Juju Smiith-Schuster have also proven to be effective NFL wideouts. New England also signed KJ Osborne from Minnesota.