In January, second-year Patriots wideout Kayshon Boutte was arrested on gambling and computer fraud charges. Those charges have now been dropped, though, as detailed by ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
Boutte faced one felony count of computer fraud in addition to a misdemeanor of gaming prohibited by someone under 21 stemming from an alleged betting scheme during his time at LSU. He was accused of using an alias to place at least 8,900 wagers; of that total, a minimum of 17 were believed to have been on college football games, including six LSU contests. Investigators from the Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division discovered the wagers took place between April 6, 2022 and May 7, 2023, at which point Boutte was 20.
The state of Louisiana’s decision to drop the charges now leaves the former five-star recruit free to focus on training camp and the preseason, though. Boutte was a participant in New England’s OTAs and minicamp and his performance this summer will go a long way in determining his roster status. After a college tenure which included plenty of potential being flashed in addition to injury problems, he logged only a minor offensive role across five games as a rookie.
The former sixth-rounder has considerable competition for a spot on the 53-man roster. New England signed K.J. Osborn in free agency and added a pair of wideouts (second-rounder Ja’Lynn Polk and fourth-rounder Javon Baker) during the draft. Those newcomers will be joined in camp by the likes of Kendrick Bourne, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Demario Douglas as presumptive locks to make the team.
As a result, Boutte will be competing with Jalen Reagor and Tyquan Thornton for the final one or two spots at the receiver position. His limited usage last season could limit interest shown on waivers by outside teams in the event he failed to make the 53-man roster, but being in the clear from a legal standpoint is nevertheless a positive development from his perspective.
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