Bad News for Patriots

:( A former Louisiana State University football standout and member of the New England Patriots was presumed drowned after being reported missing on Lake Pontchartrain, WDSU NewsChannel 6 reported Monday morning.

After searching overnight for Marquise Hill, a defensive tackle in the NFL since 2004, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said at about 10:45 a.m. Monday that they were no longer on a search and rescue mission.

Hill is presumed drowned, and the mission is now one of search and recovery.

The Coast Guard said crews will continue the operation through the day, as long as weather and sunlight permits, and would reassess the situation Tuesday if they were unsuccessful in recovering Hill's body.

The search began after the Coast Guard received reports that a man ventured onto the lake Sunday on a personal watercraft and did not return. A woman believed to be with Hill was rescued.

The call to the Coast Guard came shortly before 9:30 p.m. Sunday. The caller said he had found a woman in the water, holding onto a piling and calling for help. The Good Samaritan rescued the woman, who told him that there was another passenger on the watercraft with her.

The Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter from Air Station New Orleans, two rescue boat crews and additional resources.

Hill was a defensive tackle for the Patriots and a New Orleans native. He saw limited action in the NFL last season, with brief appearances in four games. He was a graduate of De La Salle High School in New Orleans.