Louisiana has dropped all gambling-related charges against former LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, his attorneys told ESPN Tuesday.
In January, Louisiana state police said in an affidavit that Boutte placed thousands of illegal sports bets while he was a player at LSU, including wagers on himself and his team. He was then arrested on a felony count of computer fraud and a misdemeanor charge of gaming by an individual under the age of 21.
Boutte allegedly placed nearly 9,000 total bets for over $600,000, using someone else’s name and birthday on a FanDuel account linked to his mother’s credit card. In the affidavit, police said that 17 of Boutte’s alleged bets were on college football games, and six involved LSU.
LSU said in a statement in January that it had no evidence that any other athletes at the school had gambled illegally.
Boutte, a native of New Iberia, enrolled at LSU as a five-star recruit and burst onto the scene as a freshman. In the Tigers’ 2020 home game against Ole Miss, he caught 14 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns, setting the Southeastern Conference single-game receiving yardage record.
Boutte then caught nine touchdowns in the first six games of his sophomore year but suffered a season-ending ankle injury in a road loss to Kentucky. In his junior year, the first under coach Brian Kelly, he struggled to regain his pre-injury form.
The New England Patriots then selected Boutte in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL draft. According to ESPN, he participated fully in the team’s spring practices.