Missing NFL Football Players: Coast Guard Calls Off Search

Bruce Cooper says he still has hope. But the Coast Guard told families privately that officials weren't optimistic because of the timeframe and possibility of hypothermia.

Cooper's son is Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper. The search for him, free-agent lineman Corey Smith and former college player William Bleakley entered its third day Tuesday.

The Coast Guard wouldn't publicly say whether they thought the men were still alive.

The Coast Guard was able to refine its search when a fourth member of the fishing party, Nick Schuyler, was found conscious and wearing a life jacket yesterday clinging to the overturned craft about 39 miles (63 kilometers) offshore. He was taken to a Tampa, Florida, hospital.

“The plan right now is to continue to search through the day,” Close said. “Hypothermia is a very big concern at this point.”

Close said Schuyler was “very exhausted and somewhat groggy” during his conversation yesterday with the Coast Guard. The survivor told authorities the four men weren’t wearing life jackets when the boat flipped at around 5 p.m. local time on Feb. 28 but immediately swam under the boat and were able to don the vests, Close said.

They will use two March 2 aircraft, a HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter and an HC-130P/N extended range refueling aircraft to conduct a systematic search of the ocean within that 16,000 square mile area.