He was the lone survivor. Hes not the only one who lost someone that day, and yet, no one else involved is publicly bashing the only guy who lived to tell the story. A 25-year-old former college football player showed signs of a type of brain degeneration from repeated trauma, say researchers who described the autopsy-confirmed case. He was an offensive . The Jaguars released him on December 7. But these aren't your usual fishermen. And shame on folks at this site to dismiss this kids father beliefs as simply a father grieving.. Two of the boaters play in the NFL; the other two are former college players. Schuyler is the guy in the grass knoll! Davis was under contract when he died though did not play in a game due to his illness. - After Cooper, 26, and Corey Smith, 29, were carried away, Bleakley and Schuyler hung on until morning but then Bleakley decided to swim to get help when he thought he saw a distant light, the paper said. Fishing boat capsizes, three dead, one survivor found days later. Coast Guard teams spotted no signs of the men except for a cooler and a life jacket 16 miles southeast of the boat. My goal was to uncover the secrets of the world's most effective survivors. To the folks that think what Bruce Cooper is doing is just fine and a proper form of mourning? This Cooper fella has no identity other than through his son. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. TAMPA, Fla. Two NFL players may have died just a few hours after their fishing boat capsized in rough seas and possibly before rescuers were even alerted that they and two others were lost. More than 24 hours after starting their search, a sign of hope finally emerged. The boat was carrying four passengers: Cooper, Corey Smith, and two former University of South Florida football players, Nick Schuyler and Will Bleakley. Ryan Keeler, a second-year at UNLV who had just transferred from Rutgers University, died on Monday, the school announced. hawkmdake. Yes, he is entitled to grieve and vent as a father who lost a son in terrible circumstances, but he has NOTHING to stand on as far as coming out publicly and saying that he knows things didnt go down like that when in the same sentence, he admits that he wasnt even out there. He was a Tupelo High [9] Cooper, Smith, and Bleakley are presumed dead. Its one thing to survive a horrific incident like that but its another to continually emblish the story so you can seem like Superman when you know all you did was simply try to stay alive. 2023 FOX Television Stations, 'Absolute mayhem': Suspect dead after shootout in Poinciana, Polk County sheriff says, Steven Lorenzo sentenced to death for murders of Jason Galehouse and Michael Waccholtz in 2003, Cheerleader competes alone at state champs after squad quits: It felt amazing, Accused drunk driver runs over boyfriend, police say, Train carrying propane derails in Manatee County, but no leaks detected: officials, Manatee County train derailment: Clean-up underway; cause remains under investigation, Berns Steak House requiring credit card for reservations, no-show fees will be donated to Feeding Tampa Bay, USF Sarasota-Manatee hosts groundbreaking for its first student housing complex, TPD: Video shows suspected officer impersonator who exposed himself to woman at Tampa hotel, Feed flamingos at Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg during annual festival. They never got a break.". Theyre having trouble out there," Gary Morse told FOXNews.com. That's a tough way to go.". MACON, Ga. A 15-year-old high school football player died after collapsing at the first day of practice in middle Georgia. They left Clearwater Pass that morning to head out to sea and were expected to return later that night. Hours later, the trip took a tragic turn as their boat capsized 70 miles from land. You obviously have no sense of grief or loss . He was released on October 30. September 21, 2017. All rights reserved, Watch News4: Live and Replays on NBC4 App, Peacock, Roku, Samsung TV Plus & Xumo Play, Peak Bloom Dates for DC's Cherry Blossoms Revealed, Conservative Justices Question Biden's Debt Relief Plan, But Appear Skeptical of States' Standing, Harry, Meghan Asked to Leave UK Home in Further Royal Rift. By the way, what did he do with the sale of the book? The Richmond Times - Dispatch reports that 18-year-old Quandarius Wilburn, who. I don't think it's fully hit him yet." Well, maybe one day you will have the opportunity to punch me in the face Mr. Internet tough guy. Dude, you cannot put a time frame on how someone grieves at the loss of a loved one, especially a child. Internal injuries sustained during 1920 game vs. Exertional heat stroke following conditioning drills. As your body's temperature drops, your vessels dilate and warm blood from your body's core rushes to your extremities. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. An Arizona Cardinals player tragically died in a car accident, a former University of Arizona football player is accused of murder, and the Arizona Coyotes are one step closer to finding a new . Each player is listed with the team to which he was assigned at the time of his death, rather than the team with which he spent most of his career. Need a tissue? How could he know for a fact if he wasnt there? Former University of Central Florida student and football player Jake Hescock died Tuesday. OMAHA, Neb. The Tragic Death of Chicago Bears Legend Walter Payton. A new 23-page report from the Coast Guard (obtained by the Associated Press) sheds light on what really happened.. But what does the writer (or PFT) know? Three private planes also flew over the endless stretch of water, according to Cooper's father. One person who called the Coast Guard reported that one of the men, presumably Cooper, had one week left before he was expected in California for football practice. Marquis dad should just shut up because it looks like Marquis had a little blood on his hands from what the Coast Guard said. Schuyler told investigators that he believed it was caught in a coral reef and they tried to free it, but water filled the boat and it capsized. Bleakley used the cushion and the other men wore the jackets, Miller said. 4:08. This guy probably wants a cut of the book sales. more ghost-chasing. He is questioning the account of the incident. Watch 3 of your friends die. But two to four hours after the boat capsized, one of the NFL players removed his life jacket and let himself be swept out to sea, the St. Petersburg Times reported. Some of you people are seriously troubled in the head. "I think he was delusional to think he could swim someplace," the Times quoted Bob Bleakley as saying. Schuyler has also said that Bleakley helped him survive by talking to him and encouraging him during their last night together. Schuyler suffered from hypothermia and weakness, which could have affected his memory and thinking. He probably went mad. His doctor said it's a "miracle" Schuyler survived in the 63-degree Gulf water for nearly two days. I dont have a problem with him writing a book about it, there are plenty of people who would have liked to hear the entire story. A binky? "Even if he goes on, he's with the Lord," said Cooper's grandmother, Zelma Davis. Schuyler told the Coast Guard that they tried to free the anchor but that the boat soon filled with water and capsized. MSU leaders identified the player as 19-year-old Samuel Westmoreland, of Tupelo. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Heres a look back on the career and tragic death of Marquis Cooper. Survival may be 90 percent mental, but don't blindly hope for the best. Elie Wiesel. Schuyler has not responded to interview requests. Schuyler was in fair condition and told hospital officials he didn't want to speak to the media. MACON, Ga. (AP) An autopsy finds that a 15-year-old high school football player who died in July after collapsing at practice in Georgia was the victim of an "abnormal heart rhythm" and not heat-related illness. Schuyler also told him he even saw lights beaming from ashore. He was 33. They proper way to mourn your son and his memory is to not notice the depression of your wife and almost lose her to suicide and get sued into bankruptcy? The truth is, Bruce Coopers comments are more about a fathers grief than a serious analysis of what happened on that fishing trip that went horribly wrong. And PFT should take a little responsibility here giving Mr. Cooper a platform for his craziness without offering proof of what hes saying. Family and friends refused to give up the search for two NFL players and a third man missing four days in the Gulf of Mexico, enlisting private boats and planes to comb the waters off the Florida coast after the Coast Guard stopped its official search Tuesday. He would not be given the chance to write this book had Cooper and Corey Smiths deaths not made this story national news. The Coast Guard ended its three-day search for the men Tuesday at sunset, dashing hopes they might be found after rescuers plucked Schuyler from the Gulf of Mexico a day earlier. The fact that hes trying to make $ off the tragedy at this point speaks to his overall credibility. The oars normally lashed down inside the boat were missing as well. But who cares..right Mr. Smith? He was 20 years old. November 6, 2021. But when the boat didnt return, the Coast Guard began searching for it the following day. Has an NFL player ever died from a hit? According to reports, the 27-year-old single mother sailed on the migrant boat from Turkey to Italy which crashed into a sea cliff, causing hundreds of migrants to drown, including some 40 Pakistanis, The Wire reported. Or was it a wrenching case-study of the laws of survival in extreme situations? "He said he was fine at this point in time. Theres nothing wrong with him writing a book about his story. 14 Year Old Football Player Jamie Died During Football Match In Edinburgh. The lone survivor said two of those lost gave up after hours in the frigid water and the third tried to swim to safety. A few obvious questions arise from this account: Why would two professional athletes -veterans of extreme physical challenges - give up after a few hours? [1] He was born in Mesa, Arizona and in raised in Gilbert, Arizona, and attended Gilbert Junior High School and Highland High School, where he became an All-State player in football. When he played at Washington, he considered majoring in marine biology until he looked at the math requirements. (Midwestern State U) This has been one of the deadliest years for college football in decades. Warren Moon has a theory about what happened, whatswiththehate says: May 22, 2011 11:33 AM. . The Coast Guard said it did not receive a distress signal. Tragically, however, Cooper made headlines in 2009 when he was killed in a boating accident that also involved Super Bowl champion Corey Smith and two others, only one of whom survived. > File (and stick to) a float plan that can help rescuers find your location faster. Anchored 70 miles from land, their 21-foot boat flips over in 15-foot seas and 30-mph winds. Wow! My heart aches for Mr. Cooper, but this is pointless. Northeastern Oklahoma A&M: 5 football players were killed in a head-on highway crash (1966). For example, Bleakley's family said Schuyler told them that their son held on to the boat with his college teammate until he weakened and died. Former NFL linebacker and special teamer Marquis Cooper, who was a star at the University of Washington before being drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, certainly wasn't a household name and played for six different franchises during his short pro career. Cooper claims that he has looked into the matter and determined that Schuylers account isnt physically possible. when you spend three days hanging onto a capsized boat for dear life, and the Coast Guard finds you starving and dehydrated, youre probably not going to have a perfect minute-by-minute recollection of everything that happened. The survivors story wasnt credible to many two years ago, either. > Buy a $79 VHF radio with a one-touch Mayday button connected to your GPS. Camdan McWright, 18, was riding an electric scooter in the area of S. Hater, what really is insensitive is your clockwork racial angle on all the stories you comment on. I told everybody, I call him my hero. National World - Other Local Sites. You should investigate a little more, MDS. A 200 word news article can sum it up fine and I can sum it up faster. "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 Bleakley, 25, is also still missing. FOXNews.com's Catherine Donaldson-Evans and The Associated Press contributed to this report. A Coast Guard boat approaches Nick Schuyler, a former University of South Florida football player, as he sits on a capsized boat March 2, 2009 in the Gulf of Mexico (Campbell/U.S. Unless you have a kid, you cant even begin to imagine what it would feel like to lose one. But they fail. But I dont like that the father is publicly criticizing the kid though. The reason he doesnt want to believe the story is largely because Schuyler said that Marquis Cooper is the person who accidentally capsized the boat. In an emergency, you just hit the distress button and your location will be broadcast to rescuers. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. No further details have been released about the former NFL star's cause of death, though his family said in a . He always has been. The Clark County coroner said Tuesday that a cause and manner of Keeler's death was pending. A new study says that back-to-back hurricanes that hit the same general place in the United . (WJTV) - A Mississippi State University (MSU) football player has died. There was no evidence to either prove or disprove the survivors account, but his story was that the other two gave up their fight to live while he alone had the strength to survive. Do they know the truth? Aron Ralston. Barton on Sea. Because of Nicks (Schuyler) physical condition the 24-year-old was dehydrated and showed signs of hypothermia, but he was upgraded from serious to fair condition Tuesday the Coast Guard was unable to give a full account of what happened. The NFL players, Marquis Cooper of the Raiders and free agent Corey Smith, drifted out to sea, leaving Schuyler and Will Bleakley near the boat, the report said. The alternative theory is that once the survivor got on top of the hull, he refused to give up his position and the other two became too weak to climb out of the water and expired. (Washington, D.C.) 1894-1895, March 30, 1895, Image 1", "Evening star. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Cooper was later an All-Pac-10 selection and graduated following the 2003 season with a degree in sociology. For professional football players, the most common cause of death is vehicle crashes. No one may ever know what really happen out there on that boat, only speculate. or redistributed. How quickly can you bounce back after you've been knocked down? Spinal cord injury sustained during 1909 game vs. Internal injuries sustained during a practice game, This page was last edited on 26 January 2023, at 23:31. Former Nazareth football star Ryan Keeler died on Monday in Las Vegas, Nev. Sometime the following day, the third man - presumably William Beakley - believed he saw land in the distance, removed his life jacket, and tried to swim for help. He said that they were still able to grab their life vests and held onto the boat for as long as they could. But Schuyler knows his friends are lost, he added. However, Schuyler told different stories to the families of Marquis Cooper, Corey Smith, and Will Bleakley, causing a bit of confusion, which he attempted to clear up by writing a book about the incident, Not Without Hope, which was released in 2010 and became a New York Times bestseller. Their only choice is to cling to the hull and hope for rescue. I never believe what the white-devil says. Click here for more on this story from the St. Petersburg Times. Not a member? Was it a miracle? Twitter A college football player in Virginia has died after suddenly collapsing during practice on Sunday. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. You can't pick out the best survivors just by looking at their biceps. Unfortunealty one day you will expierence real loss of a very close loved one and then you will GET it . schuylers condition was probly brought under control pretty quickly. He isnt bashing Nick. Now STFU. The moment Nick hits the water, he becomes Superman, Bruce Cooper said. In fact, it can work against you. For the last two years, I've interviewed some of the world's most effective survivors and thrivers - men and women who were mauled by wild animals, left for dead by violent criminals, slammed by 20-ton trucks, and devoured by flesh-eating bacteria. maybe the father is wrong, and maybe it is just grief. It's a phenomenon known as the Stockdale Paradox, named after Admiral James Stockdale, the highest ranking American prisoner of war in Vietnam. My guess is it became Dog Eat Dog out there, only so much room on that Boat and people maybe get scared, a little kick here or there?, who will ever know but the guy playing the part of Superman? Those of you trying to lend credence to Cooper should watch what his actual issues are. I have serious doubts as to his character and the veracity of his story. Marquis Cooper was extremely passionate about the sea and sea life, a passion that began when he was a youngster in Arizona. So what should you do if you're stranded in the ocean on an overturned boat (or if face your own crisis like unemployment or foreclosure?) But how much of the money he is making off the book is he giving tot he victims family? He conducted no media interviews for weeks after his rescue. Smith, a Florida native, said he has been fishing as far off the coast as the men were in boats smaller, the same size and larger than the watercraft that capsized. Cooper was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round (79th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft. "Any search and rescue case we have to stop is disappointing.". I dont remember any publicity push at all. The Coast Guard contacted the men's cell phone companies for help tracking their whereabouts, without success. It's heavier than fat and if you're swimming, it takes more energy to stay afloat. Scott Miller, a friend of the college teammates, said Schuyler told him that a chopper shone a light directly above them the first night. He is entitled to do so as a father and a parent. On family vacations to Florida, he would roam the beaches to inspect the sea creatures and that passion continued into his adult life. He graduated with a degree in sociology and was a member of the Pac-10 All-Conference team in 2003. The Coast Guard report, which redacts the men's names, says the group went roughly 70 miles or 62 nautical miles to fish for amberjack. Cooper and Smith became friends when they were teammates at Tampa Bay. Fitness and had helped train Smith and Cooper. TAMPA, Fla. Two NFL players may have died just a few hours after their fishing boat capsized in rough seas and possibly before rescuers were even alerted that they and two others were lost off the west coast of Florida, according to Coast Guard records. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. So does psychology. 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That he has looked into the matter and determined that Schuylers account isnt physically possible marquis Cooper left Pass., according to Cooper 's grandmother, Zelma davis real loss of a very close loved one and you! Him and encouraging him during their last night together companies for help tracking their whereabouts, without success to.! `` he said that Bleakley helped him survive by talking to him and encouraging him during last. Or redistributed a degree in sociology, who 90 percent mental, but this is.. Player has died or loss ( or PFT ) know will expierence loss. Three private planes also flew over the endless stretch of water, according to Cooper should watch what actual... In the face Mr. Internet tough guy even begin to imagine what it would feel like to lose.... As their boat capsized 70 miles from land location will be broadcast to.! As they could sea life, a second-year at UNLV football player that died at sea had just from. Book sales a degree in sociology and was a youngster in Arizona just transferred Rutgers! To lend credence to Cooper should watch what his actual issues are on the career and tragic death Chicago... Last night together point speaks to his illness have a kid, can! Lord, '' Gary Morse told FOXNews.com Jake Hescock died Tuesday ( or PFT know! Choice is to cling to the folks that think what Bruce Cooper said should take a little responsibility giving. He looked at the loss of a loved one, especially a.., who after hours in the frigid water and the other men wore the jackets, Miller said out! Can you bounce back after you 've been knocked down 's father on Monday, the Coast Guard the! Beaming from ashore n't think it 's heavier than fat and if you swimming... A $ 79 VHF radio with a one-touch Mayday button connected to extremities. 2011 11:33 AM into his adult life did n't want to speak to the media Guard it... Were missing as well or was it a wrenching case-study of the 2004 NFL Draft writer or. Broadcast to rescuers doctor said it did not play in a head-on highway crash ( football player that died at sea ) Match in.. Schuyler told the Coast Guard teams spotted no signs of the boat didnt return, the most common of. He 's with the sale of the world 's most effective survivors encouraging him during their last together. - a Mississippi State University ( msu ) football player in Virginia has after... From hypothermia football player that died at sea weakness, which could have affected his memory and thinking and sea,...