Survivor Found In NFL Boating Accident

Former College Football Player Found Clinging To Boat; Fate Of Other Three Men Unclear

(CBS/ AP)  The Coast Guard on Monday narrowed the search area for two NFL players and a third man missing since a weekend fishing trip off the Florida Gulf Coast, after crews rescued a fourth man clinging to their capsized boat.

Survivor Nick Schuyler, a former University of South Florida player, told rescuers that the boat the four friends were aboard was anchored when it flipped Saturday evening in rough seas, said Coast Guard Capt. Timothy M. Close. Since then, Schuyler, who was wearing a life vest, had been hanging onto the boat found by a Coast Guard cutter 35 miles off Clearwater.

CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella reports that Schuyler’s rescue was the first sign of hope in a search that had started in the early morning hours on Sunday, and has covered more than 16,000 square miles - more than a an area one-third the size of Florida.

Schuyler said the other three men got separated from the boat. The 21-footer belongs to Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, who, along with free-agent defensive lineman Corey Smith and former South Florida player William Bleakley, remained missing.

Schuyler was conscious but appeared weak as he was being taken off a helicopter at Tampa General Hospital and placed on a stretcher. His father said his son was in serious but stable condition and that he “looks OK.”

“He's got some cuts and bruises. He's dehydrated,” said Stuart Schuyler.

Schuyler's mother, Marsha Schuyler, said her son told her that he survived by thinking about how he didn't want her to go to his funeral.

The family's joy at him being found alive was tempered by the search for his friends.

“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.”

Coast Guard photos showed Schuyler wearing a yellow jacket and orange life vest and sitting on the hull of the capsized boat as a rescue cutter approached. A helicopter lowered a basket to haul him aboard. The search area is now “substantially smaller,” based on where they found the boat and Schuyler, Close said.

Smith's family planned to drive to Florida from Richmond, Va., Tuesday, after the snowy weather in the East made getting a flight impossible, said Yolanda Newbill, one of Smith's sisters. She said they have been in contact with the Coast Guard every few hours since the search began.

“We have never lost hope,” Newbill said. “We have total faith that (he) will be coming home.”

Ray Sanchez of Tampa, a cousin of Cooper, said he was told the men were together “for a good period of time” after the boat flipped. He said the family was confident the Coast Guard would find them.

“My cousin's a powerful swimmer,” he said.

The water temperature in the area was 68 degrees. After 18 hours in 64-degree water, hypothermia will set in, said Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class James Harless. How long someone can survive depends on how big the person is, he said. Cooper is 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, and Smith, 6-foot-2, 250 pounds.

The four friends left Clearwater Pass early Saturday in calm weather, but heavy winds picked up through the day and the seas got heavy, with waves of 7 feet and higher, peaking at 15 feet on Sunday. A relative alerted the Coast Guard early Sunday after the men did not return as expected. The Coast Guard said it did not receive a distress signal.

The men were aboard an Everglades-manufactured boat, which is built with compressed foam encased in Fiberglas, making it difficult to sink. The weather had improved, with waves subsiding to 6 to 8 feet, National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Barron said.

However, Bob Zales, president of National Association of Charter Boat Operators, said waves that high can capsize a boat the size of Cooper's.

“A boat that size, personally, I wouldn't get out any farther than 20 or 30 miles offshore,” Zales said. “But I see people all the time 40, 50 miles offshore.”

Cooper and Smith, who were teammates with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004, have been on fishing trips before, according to Ron Del Duca, Smith's agent.

The 29-year-old Smith, of Richmond, had 30 tackles, including three sacks, and an interception in 12 games last season for the Detroit Lions. He also played for the San Francisco 49ers and was a standout at North Carolina State.

Cooper, 26, played college ball at Washington, and has spent five seasons with five different teams, appearing in 26 games with the Buccaneers in 2004 and 2005. He's played sparingly since. He grew up in Gilbert, Ariz., and his father Bruce is a prominent sportscaster for KPNX-TV in Phoenix.

[supermomplus6]

My comments were directed toward nadya62.

[janae816]

some of you people are just plain idiots. it doesnt matter if they were too big for the boat, it doesnt matter what race they were. all that matters is that 3 men may have possibly lost their lives, and their families do not have closure about the situation because no bodies have been produced. please pray for the missing person their families and your ignorant selves.

[supermomplus6]

You have issues, like for real.!!!! You probably don't have a job or pay taxes, just sitting around with your thumb up your nose, finding something to complain about, because you have no life.
When you wake up in the morning, look at yourself in the mirror, and ask yourself, Self!!! do you like me? and you will answer, Hell no!!!!!!!!! , and go away and find yourself, bend over and try and kiss your own dum @!#. Because only a dum @!# would think the way you do. Peace out dum @!#

[supermomplus6]

I have to agree with you, but how or why would they take off their lifeguard vest, and drift to sea, I have a problem with that, I can't see anyone wanting to do that. Something is wrong with the one man only surviving.

[supermomplus6]

I have a problem with this whole situation. I don't believe those men took off their life vest off. I think something else happen. Their was some foul play. I can't see these men taking off their life jackets, with that kind of wheather, and in the middle of the Ocean, and drift out to sea!!!! Yeah right, Oh boy!! That survive need to tell what really happen. I could see these men all trying to hold on the the back of the boat where the hull was, and causing the boat to not hold all their body weights on one end of the boat, not to mention fatigue and hypothermia setting in and disperate time came to disperate measures. There's a piece of this puzzle missing and that is the damn truth

[alsgirl]

Poor nadya62, so shallow and ignorant. I am a black person who not only knows how to swim, but has an inground pool in her home in the burbs. Stop stereo-typing.

[happyass3]

Such a terrible tragedy and you people are joking about their race. What has that got to do with anything?

[whatithink-2009]

"nadya62 said: "anyways black people are terrible swimmers thats a fact prove me wrong. my name is mark jessup and i live in atlanta,georgia " "


You southerners just know how to impress people. Idiot.

[hunterdon6]

Thats what marine band radio's are for, to alert boaters of weather conditions and to call for help. In that small a boat, they should of never went out. God bless there souls.

[sis003]

they already drowned stop looking for them and quit wasting my hard earned tax money looking for dead people

nadya62--YOU may be in a similar situation some day....

[amurguz]

Dear Mr. Jessop,

I think your point, may have merit, but your method for making it, and the lack of, any, empathy, shown by you for these gentlemen, and their dire situation, is a truly horrendous. The fact that you live in Atlanta, Ga, still a KKK stronghold, makes my stomach turn, and if you want to "take it outside" come to San Diego, and I'll "Cha-Cha" with you on any given day.

Ali Murguz
San Diego , Ca

I'll be easy to find, there aren't a whole lot of people with this name; and fyi, its Turkish; only some of the best fighters in the world...anytime....

[ubrew12]

nadya62 said: "anyways black people are terrible swimmers thats a fact prove me wrong. my name is mark jessup and i live in atlanta,georgia "

Who needs to prove you wrong? Just.... don't..... move.

[Professor2U]

Give them a break. They are not seamen!!! They were just taking a joyride and the weather turned on them. They did not know what to do. They should have or could have but they didn't. Nature shows NO mercy. Not even for NFL players. They are just like all the rest. This publicity has a silver lining in that it might educate others into the dangers that face boaters. It MIGHT save other lives in the future.

[vietvet06]

35 miles, +&- the wind and current ,offshore, in a 21 foot boat, with four people on board, wait, who would do that?

[andrew10002-2009]

I live in Florida and fish and boat quite often.

What these guys did was not very smart. First of all, with a storm approaching and with a 21 foot boat, even though it was a deep hull boat, come in by 3:00PM at the absolutely latest. By staying past 3:00 they encountered the afternoon spring wind and later a severe early spring storm.

A rule is that if the waves are the same as the width of you boat, 8' in this case, you will capsize. That is what happened.

Staying anchored was equally bad decision. A free floating boat might not have capsized.

Why didn't thet at least try to come in? Were they still fishing?

Bad decisions of the ocean or gulf that far out will kill you; especially in a 21 foot boat.

[Non-Sequitur]

Anchored in rough seas??? How dumb is that?

[wheear]

everyone knows black people cant swim
Posted by nadya62

You hide behind a screen name, you also hide behind a klan mask at night burning wood in someones yard.

[hetup-2009]

Since they knew their weight, too bad they couldn't add. If they had and looked at the boat passenger weight label, they would have noticed the boat was overloaded. So much for the importance of sports in school. Duh gee coach what now?

[aztecdakota]

MANY years ago, we, two of us, went out into the Gulf of Mexico. 18 foot boat 115 motor. About 2, maybe 2 1/2 miles out, the waves began rolling. We turned around came back in, never went out again in that boat. Been out in BIGGER BOATS, since then, not much of a problem, except for getting seasick. Them four fellows must have experienced quite an introduction to the sea. Sorry for them and the grief of their families, glad for the one survivor, hope more may be found.

[BC Kelly]

dipleased replied to me ...

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" ... many of the boaters who returned Saturday evening said they were surprised the water had gotten so rough."

Surprised ?
Did ANY of them check ANY weather forecast ?
The weather reports all week said bad weather was coming on Saturday.
Posted by BC Kelly

Perhaps the storm approached faster or earlier than predicted or was stronger than predicted. I've learned from all the times I've been out, "surprises" do happen. The last 4 out of 5 times I've been out, I encountered unexpected weather challenges. When I'm out, I'm usually out 4 to 5 days at a time so my weather radio is invaluable since you can't rely on forecasts that far in advance.

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The weather this weekend was not any type of surprise storm, aka summer time pop up.

All forecast, all week, talked about the Front coming, with strong storms and snow in South.

And Saturday was the day of arrival. Well predicted.

Again, aside from any "weather"

DO NOT go into Open Water / Open Gulf in a 21 foot boat.

Even on a "good weather" day that is a no brainer - 21 feet is WAY too small. Wise up.


Now, I say all this as someone who knows Lightfoot's question all too well ...

"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when waves turn minutes to hours"