Gulf of Mexico: More Deadly Than We Think

(NEWSER) - The apparent lone survivor of the boat accident that has left three football players missing gave investigators a harrowing version of his ordeal, the St. Petersburg Times reports. Nick Schuyler says the two NFL players with him gave up hope within hours of each other, stripped off their life jackets, and drifted off to sea. The third man, a former college player, swam away from the overturned boat two days later to get help when he thought he saw a light. More»

(NEWSER) - The fishing boat that capsized earlier this month leaving three football players presumed dead was improperly anchored, the AP reports. After interviewing the lone survivor, a Florida agency has determined that when the passengers attempted to free the anchor by gunning the boat’s motor, the craft was swamped and the men thrown into the water. Inexperience, carelessness, and an approaching storm were also cited. More»

Survivor told Coast Guard companions 'freaked out,' threw punches

(NEWSER) - Two NFL players may have died only hours after the boat they and two friends were on capsized, according to a Coast Guard report released to the AP. Sole survivor David Schuyler told the Coast Guard that one man "freaked out," took off his life vest, and disappeared after clinging to the boat for hours, while another later became unruly, threw punches, and took off his jacket before vanishing. More»

(AP) - The missing fishing buddy rescued today off Florida's Gulf Coast told rescuers the boat was anchored when it flipped Saturday evening in rough seas and that the others got separated from the craft. The boat belongs to Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, who along with free-agent defensive lineman Corey Smith and former South Florida player William Bleakley, remained missing. More»

Nick Schuyler was with missing NFL players

(NEWSER) - One of the men who was with a pair of NFL players missing off the Florida coast was found alive today, the St. Petersburg Times reports. The Coast Guard pulled Nick Schuyler off a boat he was clinging to west of Tampa Bay; there was no word on any of the other three boaters, two of whom—Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith—are NFL players. More»