Oakland Raiders Blog » Missing NFl Players

Marquis Cooper, Raiders Linebacker, Remain Lost As Coast Guard Abandons Search

admin — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 07:21:54 +0000

After continuing to search the Gulf of Mexico for Marquis Cooper, Corey Smith, and William Bleakley for five days, the Coast Guard announced Tuesday, March 3rd that the search will be abandoned. With a massive space to cover, the capsized boat already found, the Coast Guard had little intuition on where to locate the missing sailors.

With Marquis Cooper and the fate of others remain grim, Cooper’s family has vowed to continue to search for the missing players.

Earlier today, the Raiders front office released the following statement:

We continue to hold out hope that Marquis Cooper, Will Bleakley and Corey Smith will be located and rescued…However, with the Coast Guard’s decision to cease search and rescue efforts, we are faced with the reality that this mission may not turn out the way that we all desire.

Marquis Cooper is a NFL journeyman who played for eight NFL franchises in his five season career. Cooper played eight games at linebacker for the Raiders in 2008. Cooper was well liked around the clubhouse and his presence will be missed.

Missing NFL Players Boat Found, Raiders Linebacker Still Lost

admin — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:40:27 +0000

At 11AM Pacific time today, the Coast Guard found Nick Schuyler clinging to the overturned fishing boat 30 miles off St. Petersburg, Florida. A former football player from the University of Southern Florida, Schuyler is conscious and is currently working with authorities and the Coast Guard has shifted their search for the remaining men lost at sea.

Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, free agent Corey Smith, and Will Bleakley are still lost at sea. Fortunately, Schuyler mentioned that Cooper and company managed to put on their life vests and were all clinging on to the overturned hull of their fishing boat before the men were separated.

The group set sail on a sunny Saturday morning before weather turned for the worst. With winds up to 45 miles per hour on Sunday, Schuyler reported a wave flipped the fishing boat.

Cooper’s wife reports that both Cooper and Smith are experienced seaman and she is confident that they made it off the ship safely.

As the coast guard continue their search, hope remains that the players will be found unharmed.