New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte had the underage gambling and computer fraud charges against him dropped.
The attorney for Boutte told ESPN’s Adam Schefter the state of Louisiana dropped the charges against the 22-year-old.
Boutte was arrested in January amid allegations he was involved in illegal sports betting while playing at LSU.
Per a statement from the Louisiana State Police on Jan. 25, investigators assigned to the Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division determined that Boutte placed more than 8,900 bets on sporting events from April 6, 2022, until May 7, 2023, when he was 20 years old.
The statement noted Boutte used an alias to circumvent the age-requirement laws for placing sports wagers in the state of Louisiana.
Of the more than 8,900 bets placed by Boutte, at least 17 were on college football games with at least six wagers from that group on LSU football.
Based on the timeline cited by the Louisiana State Police, Boutte would have been betting on games for at least one week after he was drafted by the Patriots. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL draft on April 29, 2023.
League rules prohibit players from betting on NFL games and from gambling in any form when they are inside a team or league facility.
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo told reporters in May the team was allowing Boutte to participate in offseason activities unless the NFL stepped in to discipline him.
“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.
The NFL could still fine and/or suspend Boutte under the gambling policy if it was determined any violation occurred.
Boutte only appeared in five games with the Patriots as a rookie last season. He caught two passes for 19 yards with no touchdowns.