2 NFL Players Missing Off Clearwater
 

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP)—Detroit Lions defensive end Corey Smith and Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper were among four boaters missing Sunday off Florida’s Gulf Coast, the Coast Guard and Smith’s agent said.

Smith and Cooper were on a 21-foot vessel that left Clearwater Pass on Saturday morning for a fishing trip and did not return as expected, the Coast Guard said Sunday. Crews used a helicopter and a 47-foot motor-life boat to search a 750-square mile area west of Clearwater Pass on Sunday.

Smith owned the boat and he and Cooper had been on fishing trips before, said Ron Del Duca, Smith’s agent. The pair had been teammates on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004.

Smith, 29, had 30 tackles, including three sacks, and an interception in 12 games last season for the winless Lions. Smith, who is 6-foot-2, 250 pounds, also played for the San Francisco 49ers and played college ball at North Carolina State.

Del Duca called Smith one of the “good guys” of the league and was planning to start visiting teams as a free agent this week. He said he has spoken with Smith’s family and is also in touch with Coast Guard officials.

“They’ve assured me that they’re deploying all available resources to look for these guys and get them back,” he said.

Cooper, 26, has played sparingly in five seasons with the Buccaneers, Seahawks, Jaguars, Steelers and Raiders. Cooper, who is 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, played college ball at Washington.

Rick Davis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tampa, said seas were about 2 to 4 feet Saturday morning and increased to 3 to 5 feet in the afternoon. Late Saturday night, a small craft advisory was issued, when winds were around 20 knots and seas were up to 7 feet or more. There were no thunderstorms in the area.

Davis said the water was “extremely rough and choppy” on Sunday afternoon.

Lions spokesman Bill Keenist said he had heard Smith was aboard a missing boat but hadn’t been able to confirm it.

“We’re aware of the media reports,” Keenist said Sunday afternoon. “We’re trying to find out what we can.”
__

Hope they are found safe and sound. I had two friends thats didnt return from a fishing trip here in sarasota. It was 3 to 5ft seas They hd to much mllet on board and the boat cap sides and they got traped in there nets. My uncle was on that boat but he switch to another about a hour before the accident happend so he could get on befor dusk. You never want to hear somebody being left out at sea.. Everytime i hear about some one out there it leaves a pit in my stomach.

You never realize how expansive the ocean is until something like this happens. I was on the Carnival ship coming back from the Bahamas over the holidays that lost a crew member overboard. Even with the coast guard planes on site within 20 mins and boats within 40 i believe he was never found.

Hope they turn up, Lions can't afford to lose anyone...

Smith is a free agent but didn't think it was a situation to mock a football team. Met him multiple times and hung out with him. He's a really cool and nice guy! Hope they find all of them!!

My Dad would go out 5-10 miles in the Gulf in a 16' Carolina skiff. I told him he was nuts too.

I ran from my house in Palm Harbor up to Hooters in New Port Richey on Saturday and it was windy and choppy. If they left the ramp early, it was not bad but picked up significantly throught the day. Coming home around 3:30 it was blowing 25-30 with a 2-3' chop along the coast. It would have been very rough offshore - not 21' weather.

21' boat with over 1000lbs of people on it???? Not something I would want to be on going 50+ miles out. I hope this turns out good. My thoughts and prayers are with the families. I read a report that said 14' seas on Sat night.........Now that is scary.

May be i survivor
 

There may be one survivor

They just reported on the Tampa Bay news that the Coast Guard spotted an overturned vessel with one person hanging on to it, but no confirmation as to if it is the boat in question.

I'm sure the Whaler is floating somewhere. I sell Whalers and I tell all my customers just because it's unsinkable dosen't mean you are. Got to use your head when boating. should wear a mustang vest or something especially 50+ miles out!

Coast Guard finds one man clinging to boat
By Emily Nipps and Brant James, Times Staff Writers
Posted: Mar 02, 2009 09:56 AM


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The missing boaters were on a 21-foot Everglades Center Consoles fishing boat of a make and model similar to the one pictured here.
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12:27: Nick Schuyler is the boater who has been found, according to the cousin of Marquis Cooper, Ray Sanchez, who is at the Clearwater boat ramp where the men were last seen and has been getting updates from family. He was found near Egmont Key alive and clinging to a boat, Sanchez said.

The Coast Guard cutter Tornado found the boat and dispatched a smaller boat to rescue him.

12:10 p.m.: A man has been found clinging to a boat about 30 miles west of the Tampa Bay area, Bay News 9 has reported.

CLEARWATER — The Coast Guard has searched over 16,000 square miles of the Gulf of Mexico and found no sign of four missing boaters or their vessel, a Coast Guard spokeswoman said this morning.

The survival of the boaters — former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith and former University of South Florida football players Will Bleakley and Nick Schuyler — is the main question more than 48 hours since they set out on a fishing trip aboard a 21-foot boat. The Coast Guard has several crews still searching the area west of Clearwater Pass.

Clearwater's Seminole Boat Ramp, where the four men departed from early Saturday, was quiet this morning after a day of fret and panic Sunday. The families of the missing boaters were gone after pacing and praying at the site for much of Sunday.

Chris Mayes, 19, whose family owns Jaxson's Bait House near the boat ramp, said it was clear by sundown Sunday that something was wrong.

On Saturday morning people were "itching to get out" on the first day of perfect weekend weather of the new year, Mayes said.

By 6 a.m., all of the boat ramps were booked and people were complaining about the crowded parking lot, Mayes said. But by 2 p.m., boaters were scrambling to get back, spooked by the winds and choppy waters.

At an offshore location about 50 miles west of the Tampa Bay area on Saturday afternoon, waves were in the 4- to 6-foot range and "the winds were around 10 to 15 knots and some gusts up to 20 knots, which still makes it uncomfortable for most boaters," National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Barron said.

But the weather turned awful late Saturday and early Sunday as a front passed through.

"Waves increased from 4 to 6 feet to about 10 to 15," Barron said. By about 7 a.m. Sunday the offshore winds "increased to 30 to 40 knots."

By sundown Saturday, the ramp parking lot was empty except for a lone GMC truck, belonging to Cooper. That's the truck the missing four boaters arrived in. A one-day parking pass was still on the windshield.

Coast Guard spokeswoman Sondra-Kay Kneen said the search will carry on throughout the day, and she could not say if and when the search would end. Vessels and planes searching the gulf have covered 16,000 square miles, she said. The search area stretches from Cedar Key in Levy County to Boca Grande in Lee County.

Word of the men's disappearance spread quickly throughout the Tampa Bay area, and especially among those who regularly frequent the same waters.

Mike Miller owns a diving charter business and was also out in the gulf the on Saturday. He wondered how the men could have stayed in the water, knowing Saturday's weather forecast of strong winds from the arriving cold front.

"Anything over 10 knots, that's really dicey," Miller said. "The forecast Friday night I saw said 10 to 20 knots, 4- to 6-foot seas. So if just one of those four guys would have read the report, they would have said, 'We're not going 50 miles offshore in a 20-foot boat.' "

Meanwhile, friends and family of the four men are awaiting updates.

Bleakley, 25, grew up in Citrus County and played football at Crystal River High School. The school's faculty members are being kept abreast of the situation via e-mail and hoping for good news.

"Everyone is sitting back and waiting for good news," athletic director Tony Stukes said. "Obviously, there is concern for Will's safety, and concern for his family. It's a tight-knit community."

Bleakley, a 2002 graduate, was a standout baseball and football player. As a senior, he helped lead the school to the state baseball final four, which was played at Tampa's Legends Field.

Bleakley's parents are well known in the community and are part of the chain crew at Crystal River home football games, Stukes said.

Bleakley and 24-year-old Schuyler live in Tampa. Cooper, who turns 27 next week, is a linebacker with the Oakland Raiders, and 29-year-old Smith is a free agent defensive end who most recently played for the Detroit Lions. Both Cooper and Smith own homes in the Tampa Bay area.

Cooper owns the boat the men left on Saturday, and friends and family described him as an experienced boater who had life jackets and flares onboard.

The Lions and Raiders teams each released statements expressing concern for all of the boat's passengers.

"We are closely monitoring the situation and are in the process of gathering more information," a press release from the Raiders said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the passengers, their families and those involved in the search efforts."

The temperature in the gulf was in the mid 50s early this morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Staff writers Keith Niebuhr and Curtis Krueger contributed to this report. Emily Nipps can be reached at [email protected] and (727) 893-8452.



[Last modified: Mar 02, 2009 12:35 PM]




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Comments on this articleby nick Mar 02, 2009 12:32 PM
No, there are no islands to speak of. But all of these guys look like they are in good shape. If they were not drinking, they would have the endurance to last quite some time with floatation devices until they are seen. Keep them in our prayers.
by MIke Mar 02, 2009 12:30 PM
No ther are no Islands off Cleawater. 50 miles offshore is dicey for 30ft plus boats in the kind of Weather that was forecast. They are most likley dead already but Ill give them one xtra day since they are athletes. 10-12 will swamp a 21' with 1 wav
by pg Mar 02, 2009 12:29 PM
dee, really?? that is not a flats boat, get your facts straight, and no there aren't any islands out in the Gulf, it is all open water....
by steve Mar 02, 2009 12:29 PM
Mike, fifty miles offshore is out of sight of land and probably out of VHF radio range too. No islands out there. Only an inexperienced boater would be out there last weekend. The boat will be found, sooner or later. The men?who knows? Pray for them.
by Buck Mar 02, 2009 12:19 PM
a 21'cc is a smallish boat, but def not a flats boat. Something major would have to go wrong. That's a tough little boat and hard to sink.
by Concerned Citizen Mar 02, 2009 12:18 PM
Thank you, Coast Guard, for the wonderful job you are doing. I hope the missing boaters come home safely.
by Capt Bob Mar 02, 2009 12:17 PM
No one should take a small craft offshore more than a few miles unless they are equipt with an EPIRB; redundant radios; redundant compass; and, offshore life jackets. Weather info is available from many sources including some very detailed websites.
by Alan Mar 02, 2009 12:16 PM
The 21' Everglades has a V-hull, so it is not a flats boat. OTOH, it's best suited for near-shore coastal waters, within VHF-radio range. Does Cooper's boat carry a VHF? An EPIRB would be just as good - both cheap investments.
by Alan Mar 02, 2009 12:14 PM
The 21' Everglades has a V-hull, so it is not a flats boat. OTOH, it's best suited for near-shore coastal waters, within VHF-radio range. Does Cooper's boat carry a VHF?
by Anti-Mike Mar 02, 2009 12:13 PM
Yeah, there is, right next to the post office in the middle of the gulf where the fishermen send their wives mail.
by Travis McGee Mar 02, 2009 12:05 PM
Mike: There are no islands in that part of the Gulf beyond the barrier sandspits that form the beaches. Conditions can get hairy pretty fast, out there. I assume that these guys didn't check the marine weather forecast.
by UNCONSTITUTIONAL Mar 02, 2009 11:49 AM
My heart oes out to their families. That boat is way too sall to be in the ocean. You should have a gps and VHF radio for help maybee even a loran ? This is senceless. All this oney and manpower because they were ill equiped, very sad.
by P Mar 02, 2009 11:48 AM
dee, really?? that is not a flats boat, get your facts straight and no there aren't any islands out in the gulf, it's all open water.......
by chet Mar 02, 2009 11:46 AM
We have a hurricane warning system. Maybe the Coast Guard should have a warning system for small boats traveling offshore.
by bev Mar 02, 2009 11:40 AM
I really believe they will be found. I think they are safe and somehow has lost their directions. I am Praying that the searches receive a strong instinct within and this will help lead them to where they are.
by Mike Mar 02, 2009 11:16 AM
I'm scared for these guys. I'm not a boater, and I don't really fish either. Can anyone tell me if there are any islands or something that these guys could have went to to ride out the weather? Is there anything like that in the area they were in??
by Reeves Mar 02, 2009 11:09 AM
Sending the 'blessed' vibe...please be found and well.
by M Mar 02, 2009 10:41 AM
We're all praying for their safety.
by dee Mar 02, 2009 10:07 AM
Reports are that this group was on a 21' Everglades CC...a flats boat! These guys may have been avid fishermen, but they weren't experienced. No on with experience takes a flats boat 50 miles out with small craft advisories up. Wish them luck.
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They just found a boat floating off the coast of st.pete about 30 miles with one person clinging to it. Coast Guard is not sure if its the boat yet. I have been out in my 23 about 20 miles offshore and in 4-6 foot rollers and its bad, REAL bad. It was choppy on the way out and then it just crept up on me, funny thing is, by the time I got back to the closest shoreline, it was dead calm. Like glass, so we headed back out and had a decent day. Weirdest day I have ever had out there.

They found Nick on that boat. It was anchored when the boat flipped over. He was wearing a life jacket and is in good shape. He said the others got seperated when the boat turned over and he never saw them again

Who the hell drops anchor in seas like that ?? That was a BIG mistake....maybe they ran out of gas ? Glad they found one, hope they find the others....Certainly seems like the CG has devoted a lot of assets to the search effort.

That's because it's two NFL players... If it were you or me.. They would be home eating dinner right about now.. working 8am - 4pm... just my.02 but Really???

Perhaps....but if it were me I would have checked sea conditions/forecast, not taken a 21' dingy 50 miles offshore much less droped anchor in heavy conditions. I fell bad for them....but not that bad.

No the NFL guys don't get the all out search, now if it was some cops missing they would drain the gulf to find them. Last year a cop doing some training went missing in the Potomac River and you would have thought a UFO crashed they had CG cutters and over 700 people for days looking for him. The cutters couldnt even get into the place where they saw him last but they were still there. We lost a friend in the same place two years before and maybe 10-20 LEO guys kinda looked for him, lost a guy on the bay no real effort by LEO to find him till it was to late. EVERYBODY should get the same all or nothing.

It's very upsetting anytime we lose human life whether they are superstars or not. I am praying for them and thier families. If it were you I would also pray for you and not talk about how stupid or irresponsible it was to go out. Human life is human life and you should not be so caught up on them being superstars with money. That does not change the fact they are still missing and thier families are waiting for a miracle and we should all pray for them. God Bless

Kind of like your DUMB post. :rolleyes: Pretty tasteless....

This is a great post..who are we to judge, we've all been there one time or another, maybe different situation..but none the less....MMareno, is it possible to think before you post. I'm surprised at you're sarcasm... put yourself in the situation, you'd being saying different.

We had a similar occurrence here a couple months ago. Same sea state, but MUCH colder water. 6 men went out on the Ches Bay in a 16' Tracker looking to catch some striper. Motor died, boat came down too quick and with all that weight in it, took water over the little transom and capsized. They saved four of them only because of quick action (on scene in minutes) by the Harbor Pilots, CG, and VA Beach police. :(

I live in the area ( have used that ramp many times) and I run offshore fishing quite often (my other hobby) and I am surprised and disgusted at some comments here. My thoughts and prayers are with the other 3, how can you not grieve for these guys and their family's? Not looking good as time pasts, it now has been a long time in cold water and tough to spot them w/o a boat (small target). Sure we can sit here and second guess / critique these guys all day long and sure weather was obviously not the right day to run 50 miles in a 21' on Saturday. But come on guys, can you honestly say you have never in your life done something that in hindsight you risked more then you should have? What site is this? So we should not give a crap about the loss of human life because they ran offshore when we wouldn't have? How about the guy that has an accident and looses his life in a poker run because it is silly to go that fast, should he get your sympathy? If you read a story about human that loses his life and it doesn't make you want to puke then you should sell your boat and get outta this sport because the human beings that enjoy this sport shouldn't have to be associated with you. My 2 cents.

Thank god I am not the only one who was completely sickened and disgusted by some others thoughts and opinions about these poor men floating at sea (hopefully still alive). Please keep these men and thier families in your prayers. Thank you OSO

Could not agree more - what an insensitive and ignorant post.

You are such a heartless tool!! Maybe they had engine problems and were drifting out to sea and the only way to stop is to throw the anchor?? Nobody knows the whole story yet so instead of making stupid posts like this maybe you should stick your head in a hole and pound some sand *******!!!

What a totally asinine post :mad: If anybody spends time on the water you're going to get caught in bad conditions no matter how prudent you are. I've been on the water for 35+ years and have been caught a couple of times in water/weather nobody predicted. It wasn't fun at all and you take seriously safety equipment and procedures that you might have paid minimal heed to prior to an experience like that.

My Prayers are with the Families.

Sam

AGREED! :ernaehrung004:

For thos of you that are saying that they make enough to pay for a huge boat with capt.... Just not the case. You should do your research and find out what MOST ball players make. Not the superstars like Payton Manning and Tom Braddy but the average linesman.

I pray that they are found one way or the other so that the family's can have a faster closure.

It is very sad to think about anybody just floating out in the water. Even more when you know they only have hours with the water temp where it was. We dont know why they were that far out. I would not go that far in a little boat but thats me. As much as I hate rules maybe there should be some as to how far out you can go in certain size boats, you cant drive a moped on a hwy. because it's not big or fast enough, maybe they should do something like that. In a little 21 foot single eng. boat I am going to keep land in sight and a phone in some sort of water proof bag.

As far as what they get paid, Corey Smith made more in the last year and a half than I have made my whole life, and I have owned boats that can go that far out in big seas. So I feel they could have chartered a big boat but they more than likely just wanted to hang with friends and they have every right as Americans. Everybody just needs to be safer on the water, even more this time of year with higher winds and lower temps.

Again this is very sad and only hurts what we all love to do but when things like this happen we have to look at ways to make sure it doesnt happen again, as humans we have to learn from our and others mistakes and make adjustments to how we do things to insure we and loved ones are safe.

I am sorry for the people that I offended.... When I first got a boat...My father looked me in the eye and said.. Three people you should never disrespect!!!.

1. Your mother

2 Your wife

3.and the most important Mother nature..


Sometimes people just don't see what she (mothrer nature) can do to you.. I do feel horrible that these men are still missing.. I know it affected a large community of people.. Family, Children, Friends, Team mates.etc...

It is times like this where I think people should be "Certified" to be able to take such a small boats in big waters, Be responsible enough to have the proper safety equipment for this type of situation, and know the limits of a boat..

We have accidents all the time.... That is why they are called accidents. I feel as though many could have been avoided if Ignorance didn't play a roll.

Again... Please except my apology for anyone this offended... It was not my intention at all, I just simply see "Maybe" a waist of human life over something that may have been prevented.

I again apologize for any mis understanding..

No I have not been in that situation because.. When I decided to go out in the water in something I was not in full control of I took a course.. The same when I started driving a car.. I took a course... and now that I bought a cat.. I am taking a course... Again.. It was not my intention to degrade these guys for going out and getting caught in a situation that resulted in this thread.. It is these guys have more avenues then most of us will ever have.... Better steps could have been taken "MAYBE"

:ernaehrung004:

If it were only that simple. The best meteorologists get it wrong quite often. There is an unpredictability with mother nature, coursework, common sense, and checking forecasts go a long way, but it still happens when you least expect it right? If you go out and expect it then you're prepared for it and deal with it, but the opposite is when there's trouble.

Obviously some posts are missing!!!!!!!! :D Let the $hit stay!

When I was coming back from KW in Nov 07, as soon as we came out of the inlet, it was 2-3's..I knew it was going to be a long way home..On the way up I burned from Pompano inlet to KW 187 gallons...I filled up with 220 for the departure..well guess what..it wasnt enough...I should have put 3 more gallons in..We went through 4-6 footers, which required obviously more throttling and my smart craft was not working properly going in and out..so that when I hit Miami it showed I had 45 gallons..no problem:eek:..I thought I will make it...it went to 18-19 gallons half way to the Pompano..so I was faced with turn around and possibly get back to Miami or stay on plane in an idle situation best as possible to get to the Pompano inlet..I ran out of gas about 1 mile short...water was splashing over the side..Sandy was freaking...thank god one of the A.T. guys CLARK and CHUCK BEECHER in their 37 AT turned around and came back for me..otherwise my new 43 Nortech could have been up against the rocks, or if I dropped anchor might have also had a bad situation like these guys. You just never know. They lassoed a rope in which I tied to my boe cleat and proceeded to pull me in through this sh#t..(6+ sea's). My point is even if you don't ever plan on it, and use good judgement, it might just happen...Clark's nick name is now CLARKSTAR..just like GM's Onstar...Thank You again buddy..:ernaehrung004::ernaehrung004:Jeff

Here it is......

Looks like they are calling off the search at sundown.

They found some debris (cooler and empty life jacket) close to where the boat was found. I know some people are going out tomorrow at sun up to search, what a terrible feeling for the family's to have no closure. My stomach hurts just thinking about it, what a tragic deal. I think I will go home and hug my wife and dog.

I have just read your pathetic apology and it amazes me that even after all the quotes you have read of these heart felt concerns that many of our OSO community have been giving you came up with another couple quotes still talking trash. Shame on you. I hate to say it but some people just think they know everything and (mmareno) you happen to be one of these guys who never does anything wrong or has never made a mistake. An apology from you would have been appreciated and accepted. We all make mistakes and say things we dont always mean but you continued on. Remember a sorry goes a long way. But then your ignorance and lack of respect for HUMAN LIFE continued to show as you were trying to reason why these men (as you say SUPERSTARS) should of and could of had a bigger boat which would have made everything alright. Well judging people in times of tragedy it down right appalling and disgusting. I pray to god you never experience tragedy like these men and their families but if you do maybe your outlook on life may change. God Bless these families who have been struck with a terrible tragedy.