Two NFL players ‘disappeared never to be seen again’ after heading out on boat

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Thirteen years ago, one of the most tragic NFL stories took place, as two American football stars lost their lives after a freak boating accident.

Linebacker Marquis Cooper and defensive end Corey Smith were part of a four man crew who went for a fishing trip in the gulf of Mexico, but only one of the men returned.

Nick Schuyler returned after the traumatic incident, as he was rescued two days after initially setting off, but his three friends never made it through what must have been a harrowing 48 hours at sea.

Two of Schuyler's friends were promising NFL players, who died as their boat capsised.

Cooper was the owner of the 21-foot single-engine boat on which the four men had gone fishing, and the linebacker was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, before playing for the Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Oakland Raiders.

Smith cane into the NFL via a slightly unconventional route as he was undrafted, but it was the Bucs that also have him a chance before he went on to enjoy success with the Detroit Lions.

The tragic incident occurred around 5:30pm on February 28, 2009, when they went to pull up the anchor and head back to port.

However, the anchor became stuck and when Cooper tried to thrust the boat forward and set the anchor free, they became submerged and the boat capsised, tossing the men overboard.

The boat wasn't located until March 2, 2009, when it was Schulyer that was found clinging on to the boat, although his three friends were nowhere to be seen.

Schulyer gave a traumatic account following his rescue as he stated that both Cooper and Smith became separated from the group, and the other passenger, William Bleakley, became unresponsive despite CPR being performed.

The search for the three men who remained missing ended as the sun set on March 3, 2009, and the three missing men were presumed dead at the scene, with the traumatised families filing for death certificates in civil court.

Smith saw his no.93 jersey retired by the Lions in the aftermath of the incident, and his family accepted the "Good Guy" award from the team on his behalf.

Schulyer then co-wrote 'Not Without Hope' in 2010, which went on to be a New York Times best seller, detailing the tragic events that took place.

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