New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte is widely rumored to be a roster casualty during the team’s pursuit of Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Those rumors gained traction this month when Boutte became one of the few rostered Patriots not to attend the team’s optional offseason workouts.
Boutte has been absent all offseason, but on Wednesday, he shared an announcement to his Instagram followers explaining his whereabouts.
“I’ll be on a panel today talking about sports gambling and what it does to us,” Boutte wrote. “I felt like I had to be a part of it, so I’m here. Let’s get it.”
Boutte was arrested in Baton Rouge, LA, two years ago over allegations of illegal sports betting while he played at LSU. The charges were eventually dropped, but Boutte does not deny that he placed the wagers.
The court documents reveal that Boutte placed nearly 9,000 bets in 13 months, including several on college football games and a handful on LSU football in particular. The investigated account stopped placing bets roughly one week after he was drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Patriots.
Boutte spoke out about his struggle last year in a lengthy essay published by The Player’s Tribune. He detailed just how bad his addiction got and credited the Patriots organization for sticking by him during his court case.
Boutte is now giving back to his community by raising awareness and working with the Massachusetts Office of Problem Gambling.
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