Fishing Boat Carrying NFL Players Reported Missing in Florida

[RBA]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,502785,00.html

Fishing Boat Carrying NFL Players Reported Missing in Florida

Sunday, March 01, 2009

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The Coast Guard is searching the waters off the west coast of Florida for a missing fishing boat with two NFL players on board, officials said.
A friend reported Oakland Raiders linebacker Victor "Marquis" Cooper, Detroit Lion defensive end Corey Smith and Nick Skyler missing at about 1:30 a.m. A fourth, unidentified person was also on the boat.
The boat departed from the Seminole Boat Ramp in Clearwater Pass early Saturday morning and was supposed to return sometimes after dark, but never did.
A Coast Guard 47-foot motor-life boat crew from Station Sand Key, Fla., HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and C-130 Hercules fixed-wing aircrews from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, and the Coast Guard Cutter Crocodile are searching a 750-square mile area west of Clearwater Pass for the missing boaters.
The Oakland Raiders signed veteran free agent Cooper, 26, on Nov. 5, 2008, according to his player's biography on the team's Web site. Cooper orginally entered the NFL as a third round draft choice of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004.
He played in 26 games for Tampa Bay from 2004-05, one game for Seattle in 2006 and four games for Jacksonville and Pittsburgh in 2007. He has played in a total of 31 league games and has recorded 29 solo tackles.
The 29-year-old Smith is listed as an unrestricted free agent on the Lion's Web site. The Richnond, Va., native was a four-year letterman at North Carolina State and was signed by Tampa Bay in 2002.
He has been with the Lions since 2006, after a two-year stint with the the San Francisco 49ers.

[Eric_the_Red]

Doesn't sound good. Hope everyone is okay.

[dougdirt]

They found one of the guys clinging to the boat. Alive. The other three have not been found, but when the boat capsized all had on life jackets. Lets hope they can find them.

[goreds2]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outp...-coast-gu.html

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepu...perSearch.html

[goreds2]

I heard that the search has stopped for hopeful survivors.

[cumberlandreds]

They have called off the search. They are likely to never be found.

http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slu...v=ap&type=lgns

[Razor Shines]

It's sad to hear how the two NFL players lost hope and gave up.

Schuyler told investigators that about two to four hours after their boat flipped in rough seas, one of the two National Football League players on board gave up hope and let himself be swept away, according to relatives briefed by the Coast Guard.

A few hours later, the second one did the same.

"We were told that Nick said the two NFL players took their life jackets off and drifted out to sea," said Bob Bleakley, whose son Will, 25, a former University of South Florida football player, is also still missing.

With former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Marquis Cooper, 26, and Corey Smith, 29, gone, only Schuyler and Will Bleakley remained clinging to the boat.

Then, sometime early Monday, Will Bleakley thought he saw a light in the distance. He decided to take off his life jacket and swim to it, hoping to get help, Bob Bleakley said Schuyler told the investigators.

[cumberlandreds]

Originally Posted by Razor Shines

It's sad to hear how the two NFL players lost hope and gave up.

I you have ever read the story about the USS Indianapolis that was torpedoed by the Japanese in WWII there were stories about men that did some things like that. Survivor accounts said ones would say they see a light or land in the distance and start swimming out to sea and were never seen again. There were even ones who claimed they saw light at the bottom of the ocean and dove down into the sea and obviously never returned. Being stranded in water like that makes people halucinate and do those types of things. Very sad indeed.

[RichRed]

Originally Posted by cumberlandreds

I you have ever read the story about the USS Indianapolis that was torpedoed by the Japanese in WWII there were stories about men that did some things like that. Survivor accounts said ones would say they see a light or land in the distance and start swimming out to sea and were never seen again. There were even ones who claimed they saw light at the bottom of the ocean and dove down into the sea and obviously never returned. Being stranded in water like that makes people halucinate and do those types of things. Very sad indeed.

Similar to what happens to some people who get lost in the woods and, more specifically, come down with hypothermia. The mind plays tricks. Very sad.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

I can't think of many worse ways to go than this. The ocean is so vast and not knowing what's beneath. I was just watching Cast Away the other night and I got sick to my stomach watching the part where he's just sitting on the raft as it just breaks apart in the middle of the ocean.

We go up to Northern Michigan every year to a place called Torch Lake. This lake is narrow, but deep. You can be walking along the sand bar, nearly a mile out and it then all of a sudden it drops 250-300 feet deep. I get a little freaked out when I ski out in that deep point. Laying in that cold water, knowing how deep it is. And that's with a life jacket on and knowing you are in fresh water (no sharks) and the boat is seconds away from picking you up.

I can't imagine just floating in the ocean like that.

[LoganBuck]

Originally Posted by cumberlandreds

I you have ever read the story about the USS Indianapolis that was torpedoed by the Japanese in WWII there were stories about men that did some things like that. Survivor accounts said ones would say they see a light or land in the distance and start swimming out to sea and were never seen again. There were even ones who claimed they saw light at the bottom of the ocean and dove down into the sea and obviously never returned. Being stranded in water like that makes people halucinate and do those types of things. Very sad indeed.

I watched the Shark Week documentary about that with survivor interviews. People tried to dive down to the ship because they heard that a drinking fountain might still be working.

[Sea Ray]

This is a tragedy of poor judgement on the open seas. These guys did not respect what that ocean/weather can do to you. Their boat was about the same size as mine and I know better than to go out in anything more than 4ft waves. You carry a radio or cell phone so you can call for help if need be, listen to weather reports and never take your eye off the sky and surf around you. If it takes a turn for the worst you head back for home.

[goreds2]

I hope this opens boaters eyes going forward to buy this device:

Two days before NFL player Marquis Cooper took a doomed fishing trip with three friends in Florida Gulf Coast waters, a friend urged him to buy a life-saving device used to locate boats in distress.

Cooper hadn't heard of the gadget, an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB). And he didn't purchase one before his excursion on Saturday, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

The devices cost between $400 and $1,400 and can self-activate when boats tip over. Cooper agreed that he should have one — but didn't follow through before setting off Saturday. Eavenson had been invited to go with the four, but declined, according to the paper.

The Coast Guard never received a distress signal from Cooper's 21-foot fishing boat.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,505172,00.html

[paintmered]

Originally Posted by Sea Ray

This is a tragedy of poor judgement on the open seas. These guys did not respect what that ocean/weather can do to you. Their boat was about the same size as mine and I know better than to go out in anything more than 4ft waves. You carry a radio or cell phone so you can call for help if need be, listen to weather reports and never take your eye off the sky and surf around you. If it takes a turn for the worst you head back for home.

Yep. My parents have a 24' Grady White, which is about as sturdy of a boat that size as there is. I've found myself on fishing trips on Lake Erie with 5-7 ft waves. I can't say I particularly enjoyed the experience. Taking a small craft into 15s is well....not smart.

Always know the weather report before starting out.

[WMR]

They were out on the ocean on a boat the same length as my 21 foot Ranger bass boat. Scary stuff.