NFL players missing in Gulf of Mexico

[FileNotFound]

From the St. Petersburg Times:

CLEARWATER-- The Coast Guard is looking for a missing boat about 50 miles off Clearwater Pass. At least two professional football players were on board. Victor "Marquis" Cooper, who plays for the Oakland Raiders, Corey Smith of the Detroit Lions, Nick Skyler, and a possible fourth person did not return from their fishing trip as expected last night. Both Cooper and Smith used to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Story being updated here:

http://blogs.tampabay.com/breakingnews/2009/03/coast-guard-is.html

 

[mustangj17]

What is it with Detroit athletes going missing on boats?

 

[Steak Snabler]

Fourth person ID'ed as William Bleakley, a former University of South Florida football player, in the latest update:

http://blogs.tampabay.com/breakingnews/2009/03/coast-guard-is.html

 

[PCLoadLetter]

Damn - Marquis Cooper is the son of Bruce Cooper, a sports reporter at the NBC affiliate in Phoenix. Hope this ends well.

 

[DanOregon]

I was surprised when I heard it was a 21-foot center console boat, out 50 miles in the gulf, with four football players on it. My canoe is 14 feet long.

Hoping for the best.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

I was surprised when I heard it was a 21-foot center console boat, out 50 miles in the gulf, with four football players on it. My canoe is 14 feet long.

Hoping for the best.

I've been watching this front move in all day.

I have a 22-footer, and I wouldn't think for a second of going out with it in this.

 

[Blitz]

Any updated news on this story?

 

[markvid]

Status quo. CNN saying search can't go as fast right now, still rough seas in that area.

 

[txsportsscribe]

I was surprised when I heard it was a 21-foot center console boat, out 50 miles in the gulf, with four football players on it. My canoe is 14 feet long.

Hoping for the best.

I've been watching this front move in all day.

I have a 22-footer, and I wouldn't think for a second of going out with it in this.

lots of private charters about this size go out to blue water areas that are pretty far offshore.

 

[Pancamo]

I was surprised when I heard it was a 21-foot center console boat, out 50 miles in the gulf, with four football players on it. My canoe is 14 feet long.

Hoping for the best.

I've been watching this front move in all day.

I have a 22-footer, and I wouldn't think for a second of going out with it in this.

They went missing yesterday, was it rough and nasty then as well?

 

[BYH]

I don't foresee any way this ends well for these guys.

 

[FileNotFound]

It's been a very windy weekend. Seas were pretty rough.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

I was surprised when I heard it was a 21-foot center console boat, out 50 miles in the gulf, with four football players on it. My canoe is 14 feet long.

Hoping for the best.

I've been watching this front move in all day.

I have a 22-footer, and I wouldn't think for a second of going out with it in this.

They went missing yesterday, was it rough and nasty then as well?

On the Gulf Coast.... yeah

 

[RossLT]

I got to know Marquis Cooper very well when I was at UW. Of all the athletes I covered for The Daily when I was there, he is one of the few that I have kept in touch with, although rather sporadically, over the years.

This sucks, I want my friend to be OK.

 

[Angola!]

prayers to your friend ross.

 

[mustangj17]

I don't foresee any way this ends well for these guys.

Nope.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

These guys would advise to not totally give up hope.

 

[Moderator1]

Corey Smith is from Richmond. Played at a local high school not known for its football program.
I hope they find their way out of there but, yeah, I'm not real optimistic.

 

[Big Circus]

Chris Brown is from Richmond. Played at a local high school not known for its football program.
I hope they find their way out of there but, yeah, I'm not real optimistic.

Mixing your threads there? Unless we have a Rihanna-jack, Moddy is referring to Corey Smith, an old Jayem Justice.

 

[Moderator1]

Yeah, ****, my bad. Not thinking Rhianna's dude at all. Was communicating with a guy at work named Chris and, well, I can't multi-task like I used to multi-task. Corey Smith. That's the Richmond guy.