Boater found; NFL players still missing, Coast Guard says

One of four boaters who went missing two days ago off the Florida coast has been found, the U.S. Coast Guard said Monday. Three others, including two NFL players, remain missing. Monday afternoon with former University of South Florida football player Nick Schuyler clinging to it, according to the U.S Coast Guard. Corey Smith, Marquis Cooper and Will Bleakley left on a fishing trip 30 miles off the coast of Florida. The four men were reported missing Sunday; they were supposed to return sometime Saturday evening. Cooper, who owned the 21-foot fishing boat, is an Oakland Raiders linebacker. Smith is a free agent defensive end who played with the Detroit Lions last season. Bleakly and Schuyler are both former University of South Florida players. Schuyler was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital where he was reportedly in stable condition. Schuyler reportedly told authorities during his rescue that all of the boaters were alive and together at about 2 a.m. Monday, but somehow got separated. Cooper owns the boat, and he 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. Coast Guard Capt. Timothy M. Close said at least one of the men was an experienced boater, and relatives provided the Coast Guard with GPS coordinates from previous fishing expeditions. A wave flipped the boat over during a storm Saturday evening, and the men held onto the boat's hull, Schuyler told authorities, Coast Guard Petty Officer Robert Simpson said.
Boater found; NFL players still missing, Coast Guard says

This just seems like a bad situation all together. They just wanted to go out and have a good time and do some fishing. I’m curious why or how they got separated. Maybe the storm was so bad it swept some away. I guess it’s a blessing that one of them made it, and he was able to tell authorities what happened. I have since read into this and they said that the coast guard has officially called off the search for the guys that are still unfound. This is unfortunate that what was supposed to be a fun trip turned so tragic.