Nick Schuyler Rescued, NFL Players Marquis Cooper and Coney Smith still Missing

Nick Schuyler, one of the four men missing at sea with NFL players Marquis Cooper
and Coney Smith, was rescued by the U.S Coast Guard. Will Bleakley, a former
University of South Florida football player, made up the fourth on the ill-fated fishing trip.

Nick Schuyler, also a former University of South Florida football player, was found
clinging to the capsized fishing boat yesterday. His condition is reported to be serious
but stable. He is suffering from dehydration and exhaustion and sustained a few cuts and bruises. He was rescued more than a day after the boat capsized in choppy
seas off the Florida coast.

The Coast Guard found the capsized vessel 35 miles southwest from Clearwater. According to
Schuyler, their boat flipped over on Saturday afternoon. He did not say how it happened.
Schuyler was ferried to Tampa General by helicopter where he is now being treated. His
parents have seen him and are confident that he will be OK.

His father said that their hearts went out to the other families.

“We still have three men missing, and we’re not going to talk too much until we find these
guys,” said his father, Stuart Schuyler. “We’ re all praying for them. These guys are all
very close friends.”

With the boat found, rescuers have narrowed down and intensified the search. Two
helicopters, two airplanes, an 87-foot cutter and other vessels have joined the search. The
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have also joined in and will be
concentrating on the inshore coastal waters.

Time is now of the essence because the low water temperatures make survival in cold
water for prolonged periods of time difficult, although the men’s size may help to insulate
them from hypothermia, the length of time they have spent in the water works against them.

Cooper is 6 feet 3 inches and 213 pounds, a linebacker who has played for five N.F.L.
teams since playing for the University of Washington. Smith, 6-2 and 250 pounds, is from
Richmond, Va., and played for North Carolina State before entering the NFL. He has played
for the Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers and the Lions. Bleakley played tight end at South
Florida, which listed him at 6-3 and 240 pounds.

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

NFL players Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper Lost at Sea

No sign of the two missing NFL players or their
boat had been spotted by the US Coast Guard by
Sunday night.The men have gone missing in the
Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast.


The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a fishing boat
carrying Detroit Lions defensive Corey Smith
and Oakland Raiders backliner Marquis Cooper
and two other men. The two others on board have
been identified as Will Bleakley and Nick
Schuyler, both former University of South
Florida players.

They left on a fishing trip in a 21-foot boat
(6.5-meters) at about 6.30am from Clearwater
Pass, Florida on Saturday February 28. When
they did not return home as expected on
Saturday evening, the Coast Guard was alerted
and a search commenced.


A helicopter and a 26-meter boat are being used to

hunt for the missing vessel in an area of about

750 square miles. Bad weather is hampering matters
somewhat. Late Saturday swells had increased to
1.5 meters and the wind had reached 20 knots in
the afternoon.

Cooper and Smith have been on fishing trips
together before and have some experience of the
coastal conditions. Relatives provided the Coast Guard with GPS

co-ordinates from previous fishing expeditions
with the hope that the players would go to the
same destination.

No distress signal was received from the
missing vessel, but according to a Coast Guard
official that does not necessarily mean that
the men didn't send one.

"We didn't receive a distress signal, " he said.

The search continues for the men continues.