NFL Players Missing at Sea: Strange Story Emerging from Lone Survivor

An unusual and complex story is emerging about the NFL players that are considered drowned off the coast of Florida February 28th, 2009. Click here for original report with updates. The rescued man, Nick Schuyler, says the men took off their life vests one by one. His reports to their families and police also seem conflicting.

Right now Schulyer is considered in trauma so his statements are expected to make more sense in the future. However, questions remain as to his reports about the incident.

He says that as the ordeal continued, each man took off his life vest. One man freaked out, took off his vest and disappeared later that night. According to Schuyler, another one of the men said his vest was too small so he took it off and tried to swim to shore. The third man was throwing punches, took off his life vest and dove underwater never to be seen again.

According to the Coast Guard, three life vests were finally found in their search. One vest was near the boat, one was on Schuyler and one was underneath the boat. None of the other three men have been found.

During the rescue, conditions hindered the search. The Coast Guard reported wind gusts to 30 mph and 17 foot high waves during one day of the search. On another day, only 30 percent of the area could be searched because of a storm that moved in. Different mechanical malfunctions took place as well.

Over 24 hours after they started their search, the Coast Guard spotted Schuyler. He was in his life vest sitting on top of the overturned boat. He was clinging for his life by holding onto the motor. At Tampa General Hospital where Schuyler is recovering, his doctors say he had only another 5 to 10 hours to live. They said it is a miracle that he survived in 63 degree water for almost two days. His mother told reporters her son told her there was one thing that kept him hanging on to that boat. He told himself his mother was not going to his funeral.

The Coast Guard report says the group of four men were about 70 miles or 62 nautical miles off-shore. The boat is a 21 foot Everglades boat owned by NFL player defensive lineman Corey Smith, who is a free-agent and played for the Detroit Lions. Marquis Cooper played for the Oakland Raiders as linebacker and a former University of South Florida player, William Bleakley, are the other men who were on the fishing trip.

According to the Coast Guard report, which has been released according to the Freedom of Information Act, around 5:30 p.m. the group ran into trouble. Their anchor was stuck. As the men tried to free the anchor, the boat filled with water and capsized.

The men were then tossed into the frigid water but they managed to grab their life vests. According to Schulyer, they held onto the boat for four hours. But as the night wore on, their will to live appeared to have weakened possibly because the effects of hypothermia had set in. And one by one, they they may have succumbed to the elements.

Sources:
http://www.koco.com/sports/18944834/detail.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1522841/nfl_players_reported_missing_by_coast.html