Birches founder in Boston Herald on Kayshon Boutte gambling addiction

In an essay he wrote for The Players’ Tribune, titled “How The Hell Did I Get Here???,” Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte wrote openly about struggling with and ultimately overcoming gambling addiction. After a severe ankle injury his sophomore season at LSU, Boutte began taking pills, doing drugs and "sank into a depression."

A common occurrence in individuals who develop a gambling addiction, Boutte describes how he used betting as an "escape" from these feelings. "That’s how I ended up going down a dark road. That’s how I ended up pacing around my apartment at 3 o’clock in the morning, betting on whatever I could bet on at that time of night. I don’t even know….. It honestly didn’t matter. You’re just caught in the cycle. That’s how I damn near ruined my life."

Today, the Boston Herald highlighted Boutte's stunningly transparent reflections, in which he admitted to losing $90,000 on bets and going “completely broke,” resulting in living “paycheck to paycheck” with NIL payments while in college. Herald writer Lance Reynolds took the story a step further with the perspectives of gambling addiction experts, including Birches Health founder Elliott Rapaport.

"A leading national clinical provider of specialized treatment for gambling addiction is also catching onto Boutte’s essay. Elliott Rapaport, the CEO and founder of Birches Health, said that many of the clients his organization serves have delayed seeking help because they believe the issue should be 'handled privately or not at all.'

'Stories like Kayshon’s help shift that mindset,' Rapaport said. 'They give young men permission to ask for help and reinforce that gambling addiction is a treatable behavioral health disorder, not a personal failing. Recovery is possible with the right support.'"

Now in his third year with the Patriots, Boutte has emerged from his gambling struggles to become a focal point of the New England offense. He credits the organization for keeping trust in him during his challenging periods. "Now, I look at where I am. Because the Pats trusted me to grow, I’m in my third year, just helping this team get back to its winning ways. Man, we about to have a playoff game in Foxborough for the first time in 6 years. Last time that happened, I was still in high school!!!"