Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was arrested in January in Louisiana on a felony charge related to alleged illegal gambling, and the NFL has confirmed it is investigating. But until the Patriots hear otherwise for the league, they’re operating as if Boutte is eligible to participate in all offseason work.
New England head coach Jerod Mayo said today that Boutte was on the field for the Patriots’ Organized Team Activities and the Patriots haven’t heard from the NFL what the status of the investigation is.
“Right now he’s out here. We’ll wait to hear from the league going forward, but he’s out here doing a good job for us,” Mayo said of Boutte.
The Louisiana State Police said in January that Boutte faces one felony count of computer fraud and one misdemeanor count of gaming prohibited for persons under 21 after an online gambling company gave information to law enforcement that resulted in an investigation finding that Boutte placed more than 8,900 bets between April 6, 2022 and May 7, 2023. Boutte turned 21 on May 7, 2023 and it would have been illegal for him to place sports bets in Louisiana before he turned 21.
Police indicated that Boutte may have placed some bets on LSU football while he played for LSU.
It’s unclear what action the NFL would take on any betting Boutte did before he was an NFL player. Boutte was drafted eight days before he turned 21, so he may have placed some illegal bets after he was drafted and was subject to NFL discipline.
Boutte played sparingly as a rookie last year, catching just two passes for 19 yards.
