Gambling charges dropped against Patriots second-year receiver Kayshon Boutte

The state of Louisiana has reportedly dropped the gambling charges against Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, ESPN reports.

Boutte was arrested in January after being charged with computer fraud due to bets he made while he played at LSU. He was released from jail after posting a $600,000 bond later that same day.

He was accused of creating an online betting account under a fake name and then proceeded to place illegal bets while he was under the age of 21. During that time, he allegedly earned more than $500,000 in winnings, having placed nearly 9,000 illegal bets. 17 of those bets were said to be on college football games, including six that included LSU.

Jerod Mayo spoke about Boutte and the legal situation back in March.

“We’re continuing to gather information on that. He’s still on the team,” the head coach said. “Hopefully we can continue to develop this player, but really develop him as a man as well going forward.

“I think it’s important to remember some of these guys are very young and they’ve made mistakes in the past. It’s easy to just throw them away but there are certain instances where you’re like, ‘Alright, I can help this guy out.’ And I feel like we have a good player development group there that will definitely help us going forward.”

Now with the charges dropped, he can just focus on the season ahead.

Boutte was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft and earned a spot on the roster. However, during his rookie season, he barely saw any time on the field. Now heading into his second year, he is fighting for a roster spot after the team drafted Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk in the second round and Central Florida’s Javon Baker in the fourth round.

He has been at every offseason practice the Patriots hosted, and fans will get a glimpse of his play once training camp begins next week.