Kayshon Boutte happy with ‘stupid’ gambling decision behind him

“I’ll just say it was a stupid decision I made when I was young,” he said after Sunday’s training. “It was a process I had to go through unfortunately. It happened. It’s life. Now it’s behind us. Now we just focus on football.”

Boutte was facing one count of computer fraud (a felony) and one count of prohibited gambling for persons under 21 (a misdemeanor) stemming from actions that allegedly occurred while he was playing for LSU. The East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney’s Office announced earlier this month that it would not file charges, saying Boutte had taken appropriate steps to have the incident expunged.

“Kayshon Boutte has completed a gambling awareness program and entered into self-ban agreements in Massachusetts, as well as with FanDuel and BET99. Given his mitigation efforts, we do not believe a felony prosecution is appropriate,” attorney Tracey Ewing Barbera said in a statement.

Boutte said he has not heard anything from the league about a possible suspension, but promised not to gamble in the future.

“I have to avoid (gambling). It’s not that I’m really addicted to it. It’s something I have to let go of,” Boutte said. “I wouldn’t try it again, knowing that something worse could come out of it. You live and you learn. As the coach says, you don’t want to make the same mistake twice.

“When it first happened, I had to turn myself in. Go back home. Just a lot. Not knowing what was going to happen with the NFL, if I was going to get suspended or not. Now that the case is over and the charges are dropped, it’s just football.”

The 5-foot-11, 197-pound Boutte enjoyed a good spring and was competitive in the reps he got in training camp. That included Sunday; on a pass from Drake Maye in a one-on-one drill with wide receivers against defensive backs, he made a nifty catch at the expense of cornerback Christian González.

“Gonzo is one of the most patient corners, you know? You have to do a lot to beat him,” Boutte said. “I think when I made him stutter from 10 yards, he thought I was going to come back for a comeback. But he played my low shoulder, so it was just late hands for an over-the-top catch.”

Boutte is fully aware of the positional battle going on at his position. New England likely has four locks at wide receiver — veterans Kendrick Bourne And DeMario Douglasand rookies Ja’Lynn Polk And Javon Bakker. That leaves Boutte, KJ Osborn, Tyquan Thornton, JuJu Smith-SchusterAnd Jalen Reagor (and others) compete for two spots on the roster.

The sixth-round pick in the 2023 draft is coming off a disappointing debut season, catching just two passes for 19 yards in five games.

“It’s a battle every day. The rent’s got to be paid, every day,” he said. “Every day we come out here and try to get better, as individuals and as a team. I think we all know that we’re limited, and we’re over the number of receivers that we need. So every day we come out here, it’s a battle. You just have to show them why you feel like you deserve to be here.”

Lower expectations

Boutte, Douglas and other receivers noticed a preseason ranking that had the New England corps ranked 32nd out of 32 teams in the league. Baker posted the story on his Instagram, with the comment “mark it,” and Douglas shared similar thoughts on the matter.

“When they say 32 out of 32, I don’t like that,” Douglas said.

“(We’re) a lot better than last year. Don’t get me wrong, we had some receivers, but I feel like it’s a whole different room this year,” he added. “(The low rankings) motivated me, that’s for sure, and I’ve seen it motivate others. I think if the younger guys feel that way, it’s just going to motivate us, so it’ll be good.”

Douglas has been limited through the first four practices with a hand injury. Last year’s top receiver has participated in drills but has not yet seen action in 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 work.

“I’m fine, but we want to make sure everything is OK before I go out there,” he said.

Baker supports talk

Baker, who has really impressed in the last few practices, had another good day Sunday, beating Gonzalez in a one-on-one drill and adding a few catches in team drills. Asked if he was limited by a recent thumb fracture, Baker said, “Does it seem like it?” . . . Running back Antonio Gibson was back on the field after a stint on the non-football injury list while playing running back Terrell Jennings came off the list of physically unable to perform. Safety Marte Mapu and Bourne were on the field, but both could be classified as non-participants. Bourne remains on PUP, along with offensive lineman Cole Strangeoffensive lineman Jake Andrewsand linebacker Sione Takitaki . . . The first scrum of the summer broke out during an 11-a-side session. There was a lot of pushing and shoving, but no fistfights . . . The positional battle for the kicker is starting to gain some momentum. Both Chad Ryland And Joey Slye scored 3 of 4 points by the end of practice from about 30 yards out… Douglas, Osborn, Polk, Reagor and Marcus Jones all work as punt returners… The Patriots have added a defensive tackle Josiah Bronson. The 27-year-old, who comes to New England from the UFL via Memphis, is a 6-foot-3, 295-pounder who played in 10 games with the Showboats last season, finishing with 12 total tackles and 1½ sacks . . . Former quarterback Brian Hoyer was present… The Patriots are scheduled to practice Monday, with gates opening at 10 a.m. and practice — the first of the summer under full shelter — beginning at 11 a.m. However, with the threat of rain, fans are encouraged to check patriots.com/trainingcamp for the latest updates.