2 NFL Players Missing at Sea

[Steve Graham]

Re: 2 NFL Players Missing at Sea

yup, 21 foot boat with almost 1200 lbs of cargo going probably 10 times further than they should have with a front coming in.. its sad, but for gods sake, you'd think some one in that group should have had the sense to say this is a bad idea.

what's worse is there were reports coming out yesterday afternoon that said they'd been found.. but of course were false reports

[i!!ustrious]

Re: 2 NFL Players Missing at Sea

yeah, it baffles me as to why they did that. very sad news, rip.

they should haver rolled with t pain

[Shpira]

Re: 2 NFL Players Missing at Sea

ahh...they shoult have learned how to swim;..RIP or MIA or something

[coleby761]

Re: 2 NFL Players Missing at Sea

Can't imagine how awful it must be for their families to have them missing, no closure and undoubtedly holding out hope. I know Cooper's married with kids. So tragic

[Shpira]

Re: 2 NFL Players Missing at Sea

p.s I can be an insensitive prick when I am fucked sorry.........

[Steve Graham]

Re: 2 NFL Players Missing at Sea

yeah, that was a bit out of order

[runningman]

Re: 2 NFL Players Missing at Sea

but really these were educated people? 1200lbs and millions of dollars between them and they used a 20ft boat?? That baffles me. Why wouldn't they have at least a 45ft boat? It isn't like they were short on money

and who the hell goes fishing 50 miles off shore anyway? What can you catch that is 50 miles that isn't 5 miles off shore?

[Steve Graham]

Re: 2 NFL Players Missing at Sea

but really these were educated people? 1200lbs and millions of dollars between them and they used a 20ft boat?? That baffles me. Why wouldn't they have at least a 45ft boat? It isn't like they were short on money

and who the hell goes fishing 50 miles off shore anyway? What can you catch that is 50 miles that isn't 5 miles off shore?

I dont know the specific fish, but off shore/deep sea fisherman go that far out for weeks at a time, obviously in a lot bigger boats
why these guys felt the need to is beyond me.

[runningman]

Re: 2 NFL Players Missing at Sea

I used to have a 2000 18.5' Bayliner bowrider and that boat would sit deep in the water with 4 guys on it (average weight of each 220lbs) so a 20ft boat couldn't have been much better with 1200lbs on it.

[chuckc]

Re: 2 NFL Players Missing at Sea

how wierd is this.... (from st.petetimes)


Schuyler told Coast Guard investigators a strange story about the fate of the others, according to family members of two of the missing men. However, they said, given Schuyler's condition when rescued after two days on the sea in cold weather, he may have been delusional.
Schuyler told investigators that about two to four hours after their boat flipped in rough seas, one of the two National Football League players on board gave up hope and let himself be swept away, according to relatives briefed by the Coast Guard.
A few hours later, the second one did the same.
"We were told that Nick said the two NFL players took their life jackets off and drifted out to sea," said Bob Bleakley, whose son Will, 25, a former University of South Florida football player, is also still missing.
With former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Marquis Cooper, 26, and Corey Smith, 29, gone, only Schuyler and Will Bleakley remained clinging to the boat.
Then, sometime early Monday, Will Bleakley thought he saw a light in the distance. He decided to take off his life jacket and swim to it, hoping to get help, Bob Bleakley said Schuyler told the investigators.
"I think he was delusional to think he could swim someplace," Bob Bleakley said.
But the thought that his son may have died trying to save someone else brought tears to his eyes. "He was my hero," said the elder Bleakley, who lives in Crystal River.
Ray Sanchez, a cousin of Cooper, who is a linebacker for the Oakland Raiders, said he was told the same story by Coast Guard officials. But like Bob Bleakley, he cautioned against taking Schuyler's word for what happened, given the circumstances.
"We're not 100 percent sure where his head was at," Sanchez said. "He'd been through a lot."
Schuyler was airlifted from the gulf about noon Monday and was in fair condition at Tampa General Hospital on Tuesday. He could not be reached for comment, and Coast Guard spokesmen said they could not comment on the specifics of their investigation.
Schuyler's father, Stuart, said late Tuesday that his son is "slowly improving. It's going to be a while. He's been through a lot there." He would not comment on anything else.
The four friends set out Saturday morning to fish for amberjack aboard an Everglades 211 CC, a small, deep-vee offshore boat that Cooper purchased in 2005 from Sun Ray Marine in Largo.
By 2 p.m., a gorgeous weekend day had turned nasty, with heavy gusts and 6-foot waves.
The men were anchored about 38 miles offshore Saturday afternoon when high waves flipped their boat, dumping them all in the frigid sea.
At the time, none was reportedly wearing a life vest. Bob Bleakley said Coast Guard officials told him that Schuyler credited Will Bleakley with doing all he could to help the others. He said he was told Bleakley dove under the capsized boat several times to retrieve life vests for everyone, along with bottles of water and jackets.
As the hours passed, the water's chill overwhelmed their bodies' ability to produce heat, and hypothermia set in. Symptoms can include a gradual loss of mental and physical abilities.
That could explain the kind of erratic behavior Schuyler described, said Susan Bleakley, Will Bleakley's aunt.
"Apparently when you have that, you're not thinking straight," she said.
Hopes for the missing men's rescue surged Monday when the Coast Guard found Schuyler, but then dwindled again Tuesday.
"We're still hoping for a miracle of all miracles, but we know the chances of Will being found alive are diminishing and getting close to zero," Bob Bleakley said. "We think he may be lost." Nevertheless, he said, the family had not started planning a funeral, contrary to some reports.
Close said the Division 7 Coast Guard, which is based in St. Petersburg, is among the most active and experienced stations in the nation for search-and-rescue missions. He said Coast Guard officials had heard that some people might be mounting what he called "amateur search efforts."
He cautioned well-meaning amateurs not to endanger themselves, saying the Coast Guard doesn't need to be called out on "any new search and rescue missions."

[Steve Graham]

Re: 2 NFL Players Missing at Sea

you're right runningman.. as I said in a previous post, we used to go out on my mates 21' boat and some of the swells we would hit just off shore were enough for my liking, there is NO WAY we would have went out more than a couple of miles in the gulf.

I think some people think just because it is the gulf of mexico or tampa bay and not an "ocean" that they can go out as far as they want and be okay in a little boat.. wrong

[lilsensa]

Re: 2 NFL Players Missing at Sea

This is the type of boat.



Now, with this type, light offshore is probably going to be alright. Not like the flats boat that we thought it was...This boat has a deep v, which cuts through waves...Not that they should have ventured as far as they did, but this boat is decent for average sized waves, 2-4 feet.

38 miles offshore is a bit too far for this type of boat. When you are anchored and waves reach 6 or so feet like they did for these guys, you better get that anchor up real quick. That is probably what flipped their boat, a tight anchor line and an up swell of a large wave will pull the bow down. I've been in that type of situation, and it is scary as hell when you are out there and there are no other boats around.

[floridaorange]

Re: 2 NFL Players Missing at Sea

lol, of course they were not on a flat hull style boat deep sea fishing.

[chuckc]

Re: 2 NFL Players Missing at Sea

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - A doctor on Wednesday said it's a "miracle" that a man survived being in the cold Gulf water for nearly two days after the boat carrying him, two NFL players and another man capsized off the Florida coast.



Dr. Mark Rumbak said 24-year-old Nick Schuyler is in good condition but will remain in intensive care in case there are complications. Schuyler was in 63-degree Gulf of Mexico water for around 46 hours and probably could have lived only another five to 10 hours if he wasn't rescued Monday, Rumbak said.
"To stay in the water for 46 hours and to be alive afterwards, I think it is a miracle," Rumbak said. "I really do."
The Coast Guard's search for the three others who had gone out on the fishing trip ended Tuesday. Still missing are Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, who owned the boat, free-agent NFL defensive lineman Corey Smith and former South Florida player William Bleakley.
Bleakley's mother said Schuyler gave her a harrowing account of the men's fight to survive after the boat capsized Saturday evening. Betty Bleakley said Schuyler told her the men swam back to the overturned boat after being repeatedly hurled by strong waves.
"To listen to Nick, they fought real hard to come home," Betty Bleakley said. "Nick said that all of them fought, just fought to stay alive."
Bleakley and Schuyler, college teammates, managed to stick together for about 24 hours. She says they talked about how they would live their lives differently.
Cooper's family is still hoping to find him alive.
"We're not quitters," said his grandfather, Joseph Davis. "Even though they may stop the search, the search is going to go on." They set up an e-mail address — nflsearchandrescuegmail — and are asking experienced pilots and boaters who can help to contact them.

[runningman]

Re: 2 NFL Players Missing at Sea

I heard that the boat was anchored which in heavy waters could have flipped the boat easily. When you are in major chop you have to use the motor to drive over the waves. All it takes in one wave to come in side-like to flip you. Anchor was def a bad idea.