Patriots’ Kayshon Boutte Arrested for Bets Placed While Underage, per Report
The New England wide receiver is accused of illegally gambling during his collegiate career at LSU.
New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was arrested in Baton Rouge on charges pertaining to illegal online gambling, Louisiana-based WAFB-TV reported Thursday.
Boutte was accused of creating an alias that claimed he was 21 years or older to illegally bet on sports games while he was underage and attending LSU, the Louisiana State Police said in a news release. The investigation is still ongoing.
Between April 6, 2022, and May 7, 2023, Boutte, who was 20 years old at the time, allegedly placed over 8,900 bets. Of those wagers, at least 17 were on NCAA football games, and six of those 17 were on LSU football games.
Even though some of Boutte’s illegal bets were placed during his final season with the Tigers, he never bet “against himself” and did not throw games, according to WAFB’s sources. The wagers and payouts reportedly involved “several hundred thousand dollars.”
Boutte was booked on one felony count of computer fraud and one misdemeanor count of gaming prohibited for persons under 21.
LSU officials revealed that they found out about Boutte’s illegal gambling activities last July.
Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY
“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,” LSU said in a statement. “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 was selected by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL draft and played in five games last season.
The NFL released the following statement on Boutte, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport: “We are aware of the matter but have no further comment at this time.”