Boats scale back search for trio
MADIERA BEACH (AP) – The search for two NFL players and a third man missing in the Gulf of Mexico was scaled back Thursday, but charter boat operators said they still hoped to recover the men’s remains.
Charter captains planned to keep an eye out when they take customers out to fish, but there wasn’t the dedicated effort of Wednesday, when around a dozen boats combed the Gulf off Florida for signs of the missing men.
“At this point it appears to be a recovery effort, and where that would be, is pretty much a needle in a haystack,” said Marti Heath, a board member of the Merchant Marine Captains Association, which is organizing much of the private search. “So what we’re trying to do is have people out there so at least there can be some closure” for the families.
The Coast Guard called off its search Tuesday for Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, free-agent NFL defensive lineman Corey Smith, who played for the Detroit Lions last season, and former South Florida player William Bleakley.
The friends have been missing since their boat overturned while they were on a fishing trip Saturday in rough seas. A fourth man, Nick Schuyler, was rescued by the Coast Guard Monday.
Heath said charter captains were changing their fishing locations so they’ll be in areas of the Gulf where they are more likely to find some sign of the men.