On Thursday afternoon, the New England Patriots and NFL released statements on the arrest of wide receiver Kayshon Boutte in connection to an alleged illegal sports betting scheme. Per a Louisiana State Police statement, Boutte was charged with one felony count of Computer Fraud and one misdemeanor count of Gaming Prohibited for Persons under 21.
Per the police statement, Boutte allegedly used an alias to bet on LSU games while he was a wide receiver for the school.
The NFL releases a statement on Boutte’s arrest
Per Ian Rapoport with the NFL Network, the league is aware of Boutte’s arrest. They chose not to comment on the situation.
From the NFL: "We are aware of the matter but have no further comment at this time." https://t.co/ahmO2VNNpz
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 25, 2024
The New England Patriots released a statement on Boutte’s arrest
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Per Andrew Callahan with NBC Sports Boston, the Patriots released a statement on the arrest:
“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. I don’t anticipate that we will be providing any additional comments at this time.”
A #Patriots spokesperson has released the following statement on Kayshon Boutte's arrest: pic.twitter.com/ohkIj3tLE9
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) January 25, 2024
The NFL had to deal with gambling during the last offseason
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The league had to deal with another gambling site last year when several players with the Detroit Lions received suspensions due to placing bets at the Lions’ facility. Boutte’s situation is different given that this investigation stems from alleged actions before Boutte joined the NFL.
It’s unclear what action the NFL will take while the matter is under legal investigation.
However, the NFL is going to want to protect their brand. They suspended players last season to prove a message the league wouldn’t tolerate impermissible gambling from members of the league. This is especially important for the NFL to steer clear of because of the increase of legal gambling in the US.
One would assume the NFL will do its own investigation into the situation regarding Boutte before it makes a decision to take action. The Patriots could release Boutte in the meantime if they feel that is necessary.
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