Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, free agent NFL defensive lineman Corey Smith, and former University of South Florida players William Bleakley and Nick Schuyler departed from Clearwater Pass early Feb. 28 to go offshore fishing for amberjack.
Schuyler, found clinging to the boat two days later, was the lone survivor. The other three men have not been found. In an in-depth interview with the agency, Schuyler gave this account of the accident:
Early that morning, the men went more than 50 miles offshore in Cooper's 21-foot vessel. It was loaded with two large coolers filled with ice, drinks, food, and beer. All of the friends were dressed in warm clothes, sweat suits, and jackets. Around 5:30 p.m., they went to pull up the anchor and head back to port, but the anchor was stuck. Bleakley suggested they tie it to the transom and use the boat's motor to pull it loose.
When Cooper tried to thrust the boat forward, the vessel became submerged and capsized, tossing the men overboard. All four tried uprighting the boat by standing on one side of the overturned vessel. When that didn't work, Bleakley swam underneath and was able to retrieve three life vests, a large cooler, and a portable cushion. Bleakley, whom Schuyler has credited with saving his life, used the cushion. The other three wore the vests.
They knew how many hours were passing because Schuyler had a watch with a light on and was able to keep track. He said that around 5:30 a.m. the next day, Cooper became unresponsive. Schuyler and Bleakley tried to revive him without success. Cooper's flotation device was removed and Bleakley put it on. The Oakland linebacker then became separated from the boat.
About an hour later, Smith started to show "possible extreme symptoms of hypothermia." He removed his flotation device and also became separated from the boat.
The two college teammates were the only ones left. They hung on together for about 24 hours, until Bleakley grew weak and removed his life vest as well. Schuyler said that his friend appeared to die as he was holding onto him. He let his friend go and Bleakley drifted away.
Agency investigator Jim Manson said moving the anchor line to the stern, or back of the boat, contributed to the vessel's instability and flooding when they tried to free it. Manson recommended cutting the line if boaters are not able to easily free their anchor.
Cooper, the boat's owner, had more than 100 hours of boating experience but no formal education, and had been drinking, according to the report.
"Overall, it's just a mistake in anchoring," Manson said.
