The chances that Detroit Lion Corey Smith, Oakland Raider Marquis Cooper, and fellow boater Will Bleakley will ever be found went from slim to none on Tuesday evening as the U.S. Coast Guard called off their search for the missing boaters at sunset. After covering over 20,000 square miles of water since Saturday afternoon, the Coast Guard decided that if they were ever going to find survivors other than Nick Schuyler they would have done it already.
So in order to find out what happened to the four men who went out on that boat we’re going to have to rely on the word of the rescued Schuyler. Obviously, after going through the ordeal that Schuyler has been through, we can’t be sure anything he says is the truth right now, but he did have some disturbing news about his missing friends.
From THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES:
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.
As for the fate of Bleakley, apparently he was only a few hours away from being rescued before making a fatal decision.
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.
As for Schuyler’s condition, his father said on Tuesday that he’s “slowly improving.”
11:15 am on March 4th, 2009
Hypothermia makes you do things like that. Very sad.
11:18 am on March 4th, 2009
Was this song going through their heads?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaPnOASOWIU
11:20 am on March 4th, 2009
What a traumatic experience to watch your friends let themselves be swept out to sea.
11:22 am on March 4th, 2009
Not to start any nasty & unsubstantiated rumors, but was there any alcohol involved in the boat trip?
11:31 am on March 4th, 2009
I was going to ask why you would ever take off your lifejacket while in the middle of the ocean. But I haven't had to experience such a scenario, so I can't tell what would be going on in these players' minds.
1:50 pm on March 4th, 2009
So who gets the movie rights to Nick's story of survivial?
1:56 pm on March 4th, 2009
This story gets sadder & sadder.
2:03 pm on March 4th, 2009
That's a very frightening situation. Those Gulf waters can be really rough.
3:29 pm on March 4th, 2009
There's still slight hope they may have washed up on an unchartered desert isle.
8:40 pm on March 4th, 2009
that dude is full of it…YOU DON'T TAKE YOUR LIFE JACKET OFF AND LET YOURSELF DRIFT AWAY…IF YOU TAKE THE LIFE JACKET OF YOU JUST SINK!!!!!!!!!!THINK PEOPLE, THE POINT OF THE STORY IS THE GUY IS OBVIOUSLY LYING
9:54 pm on March 4th, 2009
sad to hear but at the same time black athletes have a history of folding up the tent and giving in when the going gets tough
10:15 pm on March 4th, 2009
Was alcohol involved? Have you ever been on a boat? Of course there was alcohol involved. But 99.999% of the time you still make it back.
12:47 am on March 5th, 2009
Black athletes give in.?!?!?!If it weren't for black athletes coming through and making pro sports what it is today we would all be watching rednecks fish from boats, drive cars, and and kill deer with sniper rifles while hiding in trees 100 yards away smelling of deer urine and skoal. And don't get me started on the "glory days" of the nfl and nba and even mlb.I would read off the names of the greatest athletes in the history of each of those leagues, but it would be a waste to even bring them up as a rejoinder to such a ridiculous statement. If it weren't for black men and women in sports we would still be watching giant goofballs making layups in the NBA, Fat slow behemoths with no athletic ability beating each other to death in the NFL, and homerun records owned by men who played againts the same 12 (all white) teams every season and the same 20 (all white) pitchers (hard to figure out how to hit a homer off that brutal schedule). Hell if it weren't for black athletes there would be no free agency and we would still be watching the Yankees Celtics and Steelers win all the Championships in pro sports. A synonym for the word COMPETITIVE ATHLETE is BLACK MAN. The coaches of the current NFL and NBA championship teams are both black men and former players, but I guess they don't have leadership ability?!?!?!If black athletes are quitters, then what does that make everyone else?!?!?!?Don't even get me started on golf and tennis.
1:24 am on March 5th, 2009
jjm is a racist moron.
9:01 am on March 5th, 2009
Like someone said above, being hypothermic makes you you do wierd things because your brain is not functioning right. I did SAR for over 20 years and it only takes a couple of hours to set in and for this guy to survive is a miracle!
5:24 pm on March 5th, 2009
slim6789: you are a racist.
5:25 pm on March 5th, 2009
slim6789: you are racist.
5:26 pm on March 5th, 2009
slim6789: racist
6:30 pm on March 5th, 2009
why? Because I pointed out that blacks are good in sports to the guy who said blacks athletes "fold under pressure" Yes I'm sure Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, The 1966 Texas Western Basketball Team, Ernie Davis, Michael Jordan, Joe Louis, Bill Russel, and a host of other black Athletes would be happy I defended their fortitude…
1:26 pm on March 7th, 2009
Why does everything have to turn into a black and white issue?
11:43 am on March 8th, 2009
<strong>why is everything racist?? These guys where f***ing freezing and sucking in Godknows how much water..imagine being stuck in a washing machine..thats what being in the open ocean is like but worse. they where great men! God Bless them!
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