Coast Guard discovers missing boat; NFL players still missing

Mar 2, 2009 - 6:53 PM TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- The Coast Guard has rescued one survivor from an overturned fishing boat discovered by crews searching Florida's Gulf Coast for four missing persons, including two NFL players.

Nick Schuyler, a former football player at the University of South Florida, was found clinging to the side of the overturned boat, which was found Monday afternoon approximately 30 miles off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida.

The whereabouts of former Detroit Lions defensive end Corey Smith - currently a free agent - and Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper still are unknown.

Schuyler, 27, was rushed via helicopter to Tampa General Hospital. Multiple reports have stated that Schuyler is alert and talking to his rescuers.

The Coast Guard consequently has adjusted its search based on the location of the overturned boat. Schuyler reportedly has told officials that Smith, Cooper and Will Bleakley - the boat's other passenger - all were wearing life vests.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Robert Simpson told CNN News that Schuyler claimed the boat was overturned by a wave and that all four passengers were clinging to the hull.

After receiving the report of the missing boat early Sunday morning, the Coast Guard began its search, which has covered approximately 16,000 square miles in the Gulf of Mexico.

Coast Guard captain Timothy Close said that the search has deployed three Coast Guard airplanes, two Coast Guard helicopters, a United States Air Force plane and numerous boats, including a 179-foot cutter that recently joined the effort.

According to a statement released Sunday by the Coast Guard, the boat left Clearwater Pass at approximately 6:30 a.m. on Saturday morning and did not return at its scheduled time later in the day.

The boat was reported missing at about 1:30 a.m. Officials stated that gulf waters were "extremely choppy" and believed that the boat was "in distress," although Close said Sunday that no SOS call was received.

Close also acknowledged that the search was "hampered" by conditions, including wind gusts that reached up to 45 miles per hour Sunday and waves measuring between six and 10 feet.

Smith and Cooper were teammates with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2004 season. Former Buccaneers linebacker Ryan Nece told the Tampa Tribune that he knows both Smith and Cooper, claiming that both players are "good guys."

Smith, 29, appeared in 12 games with the Lions this past season, his seventh in the NFL. The Richmond, Virginia native has played 62 career games with Detroit, San Francisco and Tampa Bay, recording 8 1/2 sacks.

Cooper, 26, played in eight games with the Raiders last year. A native of Mesa, Arizona, he has played in 42 career games over parts of five seasons with seven different teams.