Patriots’ Kayshon Boutte has underage gambling charges dropped

Underage gambling charges against Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte have been dropped, according to a report from ESPN.

Boutte was arrested by Louisiana State Police in late January as part of an investigation into illegal sports gaming.

Authorities accused Boutte of placing bets using an alias account while being a underaged 20-year-old senior at LSU, with some of the wagers placed on Tigers games. 

Boutte’s alleged account placed 8,900 bets from April 2022 to May 2023, with at least 17 wagers placed on NCAA football games, and at least six of those on LSU games.

The bets and payouts reportedly involved hundreds of thousands of dollars, though Boutte allegedly never bet against himself or his team. 

“In July 2023, LSU was made aware of allegations regarding a former student-athlete’s improper conduct related to sports gambling while enrolled at the University,” a statement from LSU in January read. “Since then, we have fully cooperated with all relevant authorities involved in the investigation and will continue to do so. We have no evidence that any other student-athletes participated in these prohibited activities, and we are grateful for measures that detect and discourage sports gambling related misconduct.”

Boutte, now 22, played five games for New England last season before the charges emerged.

“The New England Patriots are aware that Kayshon Boutte is cooperating with Louisiana police regarding their investigation into an underage gambling charge while he was a student at Louisiana State University,” a team spokesperson told MassLive in January. “I don’t anticipate that we will be providing any additional comments at this time.”

Louisiana State Police also dropped computer fraud charges, which stemmed from the illegal gambling scheme, against Boutte. 

Boutte, a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, caught two passes for 19 yards in 2023 for the Patriots.

It’s unclear if Boutte will face any discipline from the league, which has cracked down on players breaking sports betting rules in recent years.