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Final Report On Football Players' Boat Tragedy Nearly Complete

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TBO.com

Published: March 24, 2009

Investigators with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are close to finalizing their report of the boating accident in which two pro football players and a former University of South Florida athlete were lost at sea.

Commission spokesman Gary Morse said this afternoon that an announcement of the investigation's
findings could be made as early as Wednesday.

The ill-fated fishing trip left a Pinellas County boat ramp Feb. 28 and headed out more than 50 miles into the Gulf of Mexico. Onboard the 21-foot Everglades center-console boat were Marquis Cooper, a linebacker with the Oakland Raiders, and Corey Smith, a free agent who played last season with the Detroit Lions.

Also aboard were Will Bleakley and Nick Schuyler, both former players with the University of South Florida football team.

The boat ran into high seas and capsized.

The U.S. Coast Guard mounted a massive search with helicopters, airplanes and boats, scouring areas where the vessel was believed to be.

After three days, Schuyler was found clinging to the capsized boat. The other three men have not been found.

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