Gambling charges against Patriots’ Kayshon Boutte dropped

The state of Louisiana has dropped underage gambling and computer fraud charges against Kayshon Boutte, the Patriots wide receiver’s attorney confirmed to ESPN.

Boutte, 22, was arrested in January in Baton Rouge on illegal sports betting charges while playing for LSU. He was a full participant in spring training earlier this year, and Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said in May that the organization was “waiting to hear from the league going forward” about Boutte’s status.

Investigators assigned to the Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division discovered that Boutte had placed sports bets from April 6, 2022, to May 7, 2023, when he was 20. Boutte allegedly used an alias to circumvent the age requirement for placing sports bets in Louisiana.

According to police, more than 8,900 bets were placed through the alias account Boutte is said to have used, including at least 17 on NCAA football games, including at least six involving LSU.

Boutte’s betting continued for about a week after he was drafted, according to police. The NFL’s gambling policy allows players to bet on sports, but not on anything related to the league.

Boutte was selected in the sixth round of the 2023 draft and will likely compete for a spot on the roster this year after the Patriots drafted two receivers this year: Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk in the second round and Central Florida’s Javon Baker in the fourth round.

Boutte set an SEC single-game record with 308 receiving yards as a freshman against Ole Miss in December 2020 and had nine touchdown catches the following season as a sophomore. But he struggled with injuries during a disappointing junior season with the Tigers before entering the NFL draft.