SAINTS' MICHAEL HAWTHORNE ARRESTED

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Reserve cornerback Michael Hawthorne, who also played
on special teams for the New Orleans Saints as a rookie in 2000, was
arrested Thursday night for reckless driving and possession of marijuana,
police said.

The 24-year-old Hawthorne, of Sarasota, Fla., was released early Friday on
$2,000 bond, a jail spokeswoman said.

NOPD spokesman Paul Accardo said two officers were leaving the city's
Central Lockup on unrelated matters when they saw a speeding, late model
car weaving in traffic on busy Tulane Avenue after 9 p.m. Thursday.

The officers cited Hawthorne for reckless operation of a motor vehicle and,
after detecting a strong odor of marijuana in Hawthorne's car, found a
small bag of drugs inside the car and booked him on possession of
marijuana, Accardo said.

The Saints drafted Hawthorne out of Purdue last year in the sixth round.