The Weekender: Former LSU Football Player Kayshon Boutte Placed Thousands of Illegal Bets, Texas Throws a Fit Over Horns Down, and Arizona in a Financial Kerfuffle

By George Eisner on January 28, 2024 at 2:35 pm
Former LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (left) and current head coach Brian Kelly (right)
Kim Klement | USA TODAY Sports
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Own the group chat with The Weekender, highlighting the biggest stories in college sports, standout writing from Eleven Warriors, and a glance at what's next.

Ex-LSU Player Placed Nearly Nine Thousand Illegal Bets

While LSU's recent legacy of professional wide receivers may rival even that of Ohio State, one of the school's latest NFL exports — Kayshon Boutte — suddenly found himself in hot water this week stemming from an investigation of his time in Baton Rouge.

The former receiver under Brian Kelly created several fraudulent gambling accounts to wager hundreds of thousands of dollars during a 13-month window in his LSU football career. Boutte opened an account at FanDuel with the username "Kayshonboutte01" using his mother's credit card info and proceeded to bet roughly 23 times per day.

One of these wagers consisted of an eight-leg parlay on the day of LSU's loss to Florida State in 2022 in which Boutte invested in two prop bets tied to his name: an over on his own receiving yards (82.5) as well as an anytime touchdown score.

Boutte finished the game with only two catches for 20 yards and no trips to the end zone. The revelation that Boutte had money riding on his own performance lent significant context to some of the events that took place in the Tigers' defeat.

Boutte — a sixth round pick for the New England Patriots last year — left jail on Thursday. While it remains unclear at this time how many other LSU football games could have potential tainting by Boutte roleplaying as the Pete Rose of college football, the speculation spawned plenty of jokes and looks back at recent LSU letdown performances.

Texas Absolutely Rattled by "Horns Down" Mockery

Hook 'em while you can, Buckeye fans. After Texas basketball head coach Rodney Terry publicly complained about UCF's players chastising the Longhorns with the "horns down" gesture in the handshake line, students at BYU attempted to get under their opponent's skin prior to the next game.

The effort from the Cougars in the stands proved short-lived, as BYU officials asked their students to remove the shirts shortly after the game began.

BYU's head coach Mark Pope clarified the school's decision to do so after the game, calling the decision from the "eager kids" a "miscalculation."

While Texas may have successfully swayed a handful of Utahns towards their cause, the Longhorn faithful hardly have such accommodating fans waiting to welcome them to the SEC.

Arizona Athletic Department Suffers "Financial Disaster"

Money mismanagement in college sports was not merely limited to the sports betting sector this week. In a somewhat stunning move, the University of Arizona fired its athletic director Dave Heeke only a week after hiring Brent Brennan to replace the outgoing Jedd Fisch as the school's new football coach.

The interim CFO at the university indicated later in the week that the athletic department's overspending accounted for roughly 25 percent ($35 million) of Arizona's budgetary incongruency of $140 million between the start and end of 2023.

Incredibly, because it appears Heeke technically received a firing without cause, he will receive at least his base salary through the end of his original contract that ran through March of next year. He may also receive additional payments tied to yet-calculated incentives concerning performance across the 2023-24 fiscal year.

ICYMI

A Springboard Win Towards National Respect for OSU Women's Basketball

Last Sunday's overtime win against Iowa and Caitlin Clark in front of an historic crowd made a big statement in the world of women's hoops. Dan Hope puts it the victory into perspective as Cotie McMahon, Jacy Sheldon, and the rest of the ladies at Ohio State continue to shine.

Five Ohio State Players Starring in NFL's Conference Championship Week

Keep your eyes on Taylor Decker, Nick Bosa, Chase Young, and Jake McQuaide in the NFC Championship game today. First, consider lending your support to Baltimore in the AFC Championship Game as Malik Harrison seeks to help the Ravens return to the Super Bowl.

Ohio State Athletic Department Sets Another Revenue Record

For the second year in a row, the Buckeye Athletic Department generated a record amount of revenue for the fiscal year. Ohio State reported nearly $280 million in 2023, up nearly $28 million from the year prior.

What’s Next

  • Women’s Basketball: at Purdue, Today (B1G+); vs. Wisconsin, Thursday, 6 p.m. 
  • Men’s Basketball: vs. Illinois, Tuesday, 7 p.m. (Peacock)
  • 76 Days: Ohio State's spring football game
  • 216 Days: Ohio State football's season opener vs. Akron
  • 307 Days: The Game
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