BATON ROUGE, La. – New England Patriots wide receiver Keyshon Butt was arrested Thursday in Louisiana and charged with gambling while a student at Louisiana State University.
Louisiana State Police said investigators with the state’s Office of Gaming Control were contacted in July 2023 by an online sports betting company about bets placed by a “prohibited individual,” later identified as Butte. State police determined that Butte, 20, bet on sports between April 6, 2022, and May 7, 2023.
During that time, Boute used aliases to avoid legal age requirements for Louisiana sports betting, they said. officials said. Between April 6, 2022 and May 7, 2023, accounts believed to have been used by Butte placed more than 8,900 bets. At least 17 of the 8,900 bets were on National Collegiate Athletic Association football games,
including at least six on LSU football. On Jan. 18, a warrant was issued for the arrest of a man under the age of 21 in Butte on charges of computer fraud and gambling. Booth was arraigned Thursday and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Jail.State police said the investigation is ongoing and “additional charges are possible.”LSU officials released a statement Thursday.
“In July 2023, LSU became aware of allegations of misconduct in sports games by a former student-athlete,” officials said.”We are cooperating fully with all authorities involved in the investigation and will continue to do so,” he said. We have no evidence that other student-athletes have engaged in these prohibited activities, and we appreciate their efforts to identify and prevent sports gambling violations.
The Patriots told ESPN they are aware of the allegations against Booth and have “acknowledged” he will cooperate with the state police investigation.Butta was drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but played sparingly in his first season with the Patriots.
