Missing Football Players in Florida Boat Incident Presumed Dead
On Saturday, four men set out to sail on Florida's Gulf Coast, and when they did not return at dusk as expected, search teams were called out. Two days later, one survivor was found. After several days of searching, the other three men - two of which were NFL football players - are now presumed to be dead.
Nick Schuyler, 24, the lone survivor of the tragic boat trip said that the men had tried to pull their anchor out of the water when a strong wave flipped their boat. He told officials that the others had been clinging to the vessel for at least eight hours until they became separated overnight.
Schuyler also said that the men were not wearing life jackets at the time the boat capsized, but they did swim underneath to retrieve them and put them on. They pulled out four life jackets, and all four put them on.
Schuyler was rescued on Monday, and after continued searching throughout the day did not turn up any of the other three men, officials said Tuesday that they were ending the search.
Coast Guard Capt. Tim Close told reporters:, "We're extremely confident that if there were any survivors on the surface of the water, we would have found them. The families have our utmost sympathy."
Missing and now presumed dead are Will Bleakley, 25, a former University of South Florida football player, and two NFL players, Marquis Cooper, 26, an Oakland Raiders linebacker, and Corey Smith, 29, a Detroit Lions defensive end.
The Coast Guard recovered a dark nylon jacket, a cooler, and an orange life vest. They fear that hypothermia may have set in amongst the missing men after three days in the water.
Comments
Deepest sympathies to family and friends of the three men missing.
I truly feel for these gentlemen during their horrible ordeal! They went out to have fun and enjoy conversation and hopefully catch some fish. What was suppose to be an enjoyable and fun day ended in horrible tragedy. I can't imagine the agony and fear that they went through their souls, when that boat capsized and now their family and friends must endure this same tragedy over and over in their minds. My thoughts and sincere prayers are with all. I am very sorry and with blessings for all. God Bless, Deanna
My heart and prayers are with them and their families and the fish that might have died in this situation too.
One way to help them all is to pray: Ohm Ah Hung Benza Guru Pema Siddhi Hung (tibetan pronunciation).
It's called the Vajra Guru Mantra. It's Tibetan mantra that helps bring temporary and ultimate happiness to all beings.
You can repeat it softly or aloud as many times as you would like.
The more you recite it the more positivity and help it will bring.
some of us arn't religious. we should all pray, but not in that matter. but i appretiate your wonderful sympathy
your a dushbag
if you out der i hope your safe an not dead i luv ya'll 2 death an dat you an da familys will be in mi prayers..always..
I send me deepest condolences to the family of the three men missing but i feel that the only reason why they called off the search because the men were black and no offense to anyone if they were white they would having been searching for months. I'm not being racist because I'm not a racist person but that's how I feel. I'm going to be praying for the families in theri time of grief.
i think what you are saying is not even reasonable right now let the families mourn without bringing any more conflict into this white or black you can only search so long you can only swim and survive so long!!!! my heart goes out to the families of the 3 men. at least their was one survivor to bring some closure to the families..
On top of all the grief the family and friends of the victims must now endure, some idiot has to interject race into it. Do you really believe the search was called off because some of the men were black? Are you aware that a white man is also among the missing? I suppose you think the search is secretly continuing just for the white man.
Well William Bleakely, one of the baoters was white, and they called the search off. The color of their skin has nothing to do with why the search was called off. With the water being 63 degrees, it is highly unlikely that they would have survived. That is why the search was called off.
Family.....Friends....You're in my prayers
I find it disgusting that anytime something trajic happens, some knucklehead bring the race card into it. It is pathetic in my opinion. For one, they were not all black. And they were in the water for 3 days before the search was called off. My prayers are with the families and friends of these men.
My thoughts and prayers are with these young men and their families. First of all, there is a lot to be said about this search. I for one think that the US Navy should have been brought in b/c they're skilled and experienced in patroling the seas. They have a scope that looks out over the whole sea. So with that being said, these young men could have been saved. But then whose to say that they're dead. God is an almight God and his thoughts are not our thoughts and his timing is not our timing. They might be somewhere, who knows. Some people may be offended when I say this but other than race, I think there is a big hole in Nick Schuyler's story. That's all I'm going to say. But I will say this, God sits up high and looks down low. He knows what happen and the truth will surface. God Bless!
•I got this story from FOX News:
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. His friend Clay Eavenson told him during a different fishing outing two days before the accident that he should get an EPIRB, which transmits radio signals and GPS coordinates that rescue crews can use to find boats in trouble, the Times reported. Cooper hadn't heard of the gadget, an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB). Cooper agreed that he should have one — but didn't follow through before setting off Saturday ...so 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. . Eavenson had been invited to go with the four, but declined, according to the paper.
"The thing I want to come out of this is people need to become aware," Eavenson said. "He was not aware of what one was, and he would have had one had he known.
"He told me he was going to go buy one. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of people that do what Marquis did without knowing what is available."
I WISH SO MUCH THAT 1) MARQUIS WOULD HAVE PURCHASED THE DEVICE; 2) THAT HE WOULD NOT HAVE GONE OUT SO FAR (small boats like that should NEVER be out more than 20 miles--not even that!) Now, all we can do is WARN OTHERS, and let these dear men's lives stand for AWARENESS that one must do all that one can to be safe when out on the water! May God bless their souls...and their families and children.
Being a boat owner myself, I could not believe how small that boat was when I saw it on the news. I was thinking they were at least on a fishing boat suitable for ocean waters!! My boat is the same size and I don't even get out in the deep waters if the lake is choppy! And I still don't see how 4 grown men fit in that boat either. Something that small should stay very close to shore. Ocean waters are a very different beast from a lake.
How did the one man get atop the boat and the others decided that they didn't feel that necessary? There are a grip of Tiger Sharks in those waters. I live in Oregon and I know what the Gulf of Mexico has in store for swimmers... This should have never HAPPENED!!! Bad judgement will always lead to infinite sorrow. Let us all learn from this... Fish COMMERCIALLY please!
Lets all pray for all the famiies involved so that they can get strenght to go on in this time of sorrow.
Lets also get together and pray for that idoit that made
that stupid comment..Some times if you do not have anything to say you should keep your mouth shut.
What happened to the others? Why could one hold onto the boat and not the other guys? They all had life jackets.
I just would like to send my regards out to the families who have lost their loved ones, I too share the same pain, you see my husband was killed in a boating accident and that was not even nine months ago, but GOD brought me through, not all but enough to where as though I am able to take care of my four children, and think alittle clearer, everything takes time but my prayers goes out to the families, and may the lord continue to strenghing you and place your hearts at peace, GOD Bless
I still feel like this story does not add up. What really happened that day at sea?? One person survived, where are the other men? How did he manage to make it?? It kills me inside, something is out there-somebody needs to say aomething. Why hasnt the surviver told us everything...gone to national tv or atleast an article in the papers?? Silence is all there is.... What happened?? What really happened??
I send my regards to their families, I know the pain...I can imagine the horror those men went through
It is very crazy what happened to these men....I mean hell yes.....it was cold....hypo-thermia set in and they went loco in the CAVEZA is what happened dude. I know what hypo does to an otherwise sane and normal person. It makes them crazy! How you may ask??? Welp....because it blocks the flow of blood to the brain cells and makes it hard to think, function properly, and make rational decisions. DUH!!!!! None of you even took into account for a moment what Hypo-thermia can do to a person. Add fear, anxiety, and desperation into the mix and you will have a mesh-pot for disaster. just pray for these families of these men and also for your own families safety. life is not a promise but a GIFT!!!!! We must all treasure every day as if it were our last and never take a single moment for granted....i know it's cliche but it is oh so TRUE indeed. :):):) AND these men were pro's at playing football and thay were never fishers of men........I mean they weren't schooled enuff to be out in THE OCEAN!!!!!! The ocean is a HUGE place for 4 guys in a tiny boat to be that far out just chillin. ha. whatta joke. I agree with whoever said..." Keep my crazy ass on land" hahahaha.