Ex-LSU wide receiver allegedly bet on his team while underage

Former LSU and current New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was arrested Thursday and is accused of using an alias to bet on sports while he was underage, according to the Louisiana State Police.

Boutte is facing a felony count of computer fraud and a misdemeanor count of gaming prohibited by persons under 21, according to police.

The wideout allegedly placed more than 8,900 bets between April 6, 2022, and May 7, 2023. At least 17 of those were on NCAA football games, and at least six were LSU games, police said. Boutte played for the Tigers from 2020-22.

“In July 2023, LSU was made aware of allegations regarding a former student-athlete’s improper conduct related to sports gambling while enrolled at the University,” LSU said in a statement. “Since then, we have fully cooperated with all relevant authorities involved in the investigation and will continue to do so. We have no evidence that any other student-athletes participated in these prohibited activities, and we are grateful for measures that detect and discourage sports gambling-related misconduct.”

“The New England Patriots are aware that Kayshon Boutte is cooperating with Louisiana police regarding their investigation into an underage gambling charge while he was a student at Louisiana State University,” a team spokesperson said, per the Boston Herald. “I don’t anticipate that we will be providing any additional comments at this time.”

Sports betting was made legal in Louisiana in 2021 for individuals over the age of 21. Penalties for being found guilty of betting underage is a fine of no more than $500, or imprisonment for no more than six months, or both, according to Justia.

Boutte caught 131 passes for 1,782 yards during his college days. In 2021, he was suspended for one game for receiving money in exchange for an autograph before NIL was put into effect.

He was selected in the sixth round of the 2023 draft by New England. Boutte had two catches for 19 yards in three games for the Patriots.