Former USF player Will Bleakley
There’s an incredible story developing now involving two NFL players (Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper of the Lions and Raiders) and two former college football players who were reported missing in the Gulf of Mexico yesterday. Sports Illustrated is reporting that the Coast Guard has found the overturned boat and one of the men was clinging to it. Check back here or CNNSI.com for the upcoming details.
Update: One of the former South Florida players, Nick Schuyler, has been rescued after clinging to the overturned boat.
Note: What I don’t get about this story is why these guys went out in the first place. There were 15-foot peaks, a small-craft advisory, and they were headed 50 miled offshore in a 21-foot boat. I’m anxious to hear from Schuyler (said SKY-ler) why they decided to take the trip despite the advisory.
on Mar 2nd, 2009 at 4:18 PM
I can hardly wait to hear what Schyler has to say about this. Cooper was apparently the “experienced” boater mentioned in some reports, since he owned the boat and frequently deep-sea fished, even though his father didn’t like it.
on Mar 2nd, 2009 at 4:56 PM
Cyd –
Living here in the Tampa Bay area, here’s some info that might clear up on why the four went out. Early Saturday morning the weather was calm, but then winds picked up through the day and the seas got heavy. Waves of 7 feet and higher were reported thoughout the day, peaking to 15 feet on Sunday.
This may be pure speculation, but either they were not aware of the Small Craft Advisory or they planned to return before the weather got rough. Schuyler has said that all 4 were wearing their life vests when the boat flipped over and the Coast Guard is concentrating their search to the area where Schuyler and the boat were found. At this point it’s still listed as a search operation and not a recovery one. Needless to say, the newscasters here in Tampa are all over this story so if I hear anything new I’ll post it.
on Mar 2nd, 2009 at 7:20 PM
Thanks Binkley! I’m VERY interested in hearing what you hear! It’s a sad story, and I just hope it wasn’t because of a really bad decision.
on Mar 2nd, 2009 at 8:27 PM
Why did I think “Bison Dele” when I heard about this story.
Hope they find the other guys.
on Mar 3rd, 2009 at 1:58 AM
At 1:45 am Tuesday, March 3rd nothing being reported. The search vehicles have heat seeking radars to help during night time rescues. They were reporting two helicopters and three boats are working through the night. The three men have been in the water more than 50 hours. The temperature in Tampa right now is around 40 degrees. A very cold night for early March. The water temperatures are between 62-64 degrees. It is too bad all of them could not stay attached to the boat. I am a very optimistic person, but with the above conditions and time spent in the water, if they are not found soon the search will become a recovery mission by later today. I am praying that the three men can hang on for one more cold night.
on Mar 3rd, 2009 at 10:51 AM
Furthermore, why was the boat anchored in those kinds of conditions? The boat needed to be able to rise and fall with those kinds of choppy conditions. I have been trying to be optimistic but its not looking good. I’ve also heard about how their chances are better because of their physical condition. It may carry them for a little longer, but not much. I go boating and sailing (not on something that small) and if I remember correctly, body temp drops a degree for every hour you are in the water in those conditions. If they all had life jackets on though I’m surprised they haven’t found any trace of them yet.
Interesting comment about Bison Dele. What comparisons made you think of that Kevin?
on Mar 3rd, 2009 at 4:21 PM
I remember as a kid going down to Clearwater Beach every Easter and my grandparents would charter a private boat every year for a day.. Kinda eerie that this is happening exactly where we would fish, like 35 miles out… I hope there is some glimmer of hope chance the others are OK, but it sure has been a long time…
on Mar 3rd, 2009 at 6:38 PM
Coast Guard has called off the search for the remaining 3. What ashame. I hope that their bodies are recovered.