BENGALS CB JOSEPH ARRESTED ON POT CHARGE

CINCINNATI -- Bengals cornerback Johnathan Joseph was arrested early
Monday and charged with possession of marijuana, the ninth Cincinnati
player arrested in the last nine months.

The arrest came three weeks after coach Marvin Lewis announced he
would get tougher on player conduct, hoping to stop a series of
arrests that has embarrassed the team and drawn the attention of NFL
commissioner Roger Goodell.

"We don't comment on these matters when they're unresolved," team
spokesman Jack Brennan said. "We don't believe it's appropriate when
it's still at the level of charges."

Joseph was arrested on U.S. Route 42 in northern Kentucky. He lives
nearby in Union, Ky. The Boone County sheriff's arrest report said
Joseph was the passenger in a vehicle driven by a woman who had a
suspended license, was driving slowly and weaving.

When a sheriff's deputy asked Joseph to get out of the vehicle so it
could be searched, Joseph reached for a black backpack with a Super
Bowl logo, the arrest report said. The deputy wrote in the report
there was a "strong odor" of marijuana.

When the deputy began searching the backpack, Joseph "stated that
there was a bag of marijuana" in the backpack, according to the
arrest report. The deputy said he found a bag of marijuana in a pouch
next to a video game.

Joseph was arrested at 2:15 a.m., taken to the county jail and
released. His first court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 5.
Marijuana possession is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum of one
year in jail and a maximum $500 fine.

The Bengals have had the most arrests in the NFL over the past 13
months. Nine players have been arrested, and linebacker Odell Thurman
and receiver Chris Henry have been suspended by the NFL for misconduct.

Henry has been arrested four times, the first time for possession of
marijuana. Two of his court cases have been settled, and two are
pending. Those two cases could bring additional punishment from the
league, which suspended him for two games.

Thurman was suspended for the entire season for repeated violations
of the league's substance-abuse policies. He skipped a drug test,
drawing a four-game suspension. It was extended to a full season
after a Sept. 25 arrest on a drunken-driving charge.

Joseph was the 24th overall pick in last season's draft. He played in
every game and started eight of them, including the final seven in
place of Deltha O'Neal. O'Neal was hurt and benched for one game
after his Dec. 9 arrest on a drunken-driving charge.

Two days after O'Neal's arrest, Goodell called Bengals president Mike
Brown to express his concern and offer help in ending the team's
off-field problems. During a visit in September, Goodell reminded the
players of their responsibility to stay out of trouble.

Lewis initially defended his players. But after Goodell's visit, he
started taking a harder line publicly.

The Bengals lost their last three games to finish 8-8 and missed out
on the playoffs. After the season, Lewis said some of the team's
veterans had asked him to get tougher with the players.