Anchor Problems Capsized NFL Players' Boat

(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»

10-foot seas, 40-mph winds, hypothermia threaten

(NEWSER) - People may imagine the Gulf of Mexico as a “pond,” but they’ve never seen it “get nasty” in a cold front, writes Terry Tomalin in the St. Petersburg Times. Boaters, like the missing NFL players, can face 10-foot seas and and 40-mph winds. “All it takes is one 8-foot wave to swamp a boat,” and then hypothermia looms, with offshore water temps in the mid to low 60s. "Even in a wetsuit, you will become chilled within an hour." 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»

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 family of NFL player Marquis Cooper said today they have decided to discontinue their search for the 26-year-old man and two friends still missing in the Gulf of Mexico. In a statement, Bruce Cooper said his family is beginning the healing process, and needs time to be together and remember his son. Cooper described his son as a great father and husband. More»