The NFL will look at allegations made by patriots wide receiver Jayshon Boutte, who was arrested by louisiana state police last week in connection with a 13-month history of suspected sports betting while attending LSU.
Over the next two weeks, the first super bowl in las vegas history will be played, according to a warrant for his capture issued by louisiana. boutte made at least 8,927 online wagers between april 6, 2022 and may 7, 2023, during his last season as an lsu player. Boutte was 20 years old at the time of the alleged bets and was not allowed to gamble in the state.
In addition, 17 of the bets were placed on ncaa football games, six of which included lsu, according to the authorities. To date, there haven’t been any allegations that boutte wagered against him or lsu, which may have been a game-fixing tactic.
Boutte turned himself in to state police last week after being charged with misdemeanor computer gaming under the age of 21 and felony computer theft. Boutte will also be the subject of an investigation by the nfl, according to jeff miller, the executive vice president of communications, public relations, and policy for the NFL.
During a conference call with reporters about the league’s ongoing efforts to improve sports wagering laws and conduct, miller revealed the news.miller said the boutte incident was made public. “an investigation into it is now ongoing. If there’s anything new to report, we’ll keep you informed. There is certainly enough space for us to investigate and pursue an investigation, though i can’t promise you what the investigation’s conclusion would be.
Although the nfl’s personal conduct policy is ambiguous when it comes to retroactively punishing players for incidents that occurred prior to their membership in the league, coaches, players, and other staff have been scrutinized for activities that occurred prior to their membership with clubs or the league office. In 2023, the league’s personal conduct law was specifically amended to include off-field conduct prior to nfl service.
According to a league source, the NFL will look at any conduct that occurred during boutte’s current employment with the patriots, not just the charges against him in louisiana on tuesday.
According to the source, “i would like it to be broad and up to date.” The league’s involvement in the boutte probe comes at a crucial moment for the league, which will be scrutinized over the next two weeks with its first super bowl in las vegas. The league and its teams have a wide variety of gaming advertising, sponsorship, and licensing agreements in place, blurring the NFL’s revenue lines and the league’s current “no fly zones” of sports wagering.
During the last two seasons, this has been seen, with a slew of players being punished for gambling, including ten during the summer. Miller and the league reiterated on tuesday that they are doing a good job to “safeguard” the game’s integrity while still making their plans clear to staff. During super bowl week, all san francisco 49ers and kansas city chiefs players and league employees will be barred from playing.
This applies to all forms of gambling, including sports wagering. “the rules for the participating team’s players and other staff are the same as they are for any other sport,” miller said in a statement. “there is no gambling when it comes to sports betting or other activities in the workplace. Any player, coach, or crew found gambling at a casino may face disciplinary charges. The players, coaches, league officials, club officials, and everyone else have understood the rules governing gambling, so that they should be prepared for everything las vegas has to offer in that regard.
