NFL Players Marquis Cooper, Corey Smith Among Those Missing at Sea

The Coast Guard is currently searching for a missing fishing boat which holds "at least" two NFL players among a total of four passengers, according to a report. The Coast Guard identified the players as Raider linebacker Marquis Cooper (pictured left) and Lion defensive end Corey Smith (pictured right).

At around 1:30 AM ET on Sunday, the Coast Guard was informed by friends of the passengers that the boat hadn't returned from a fishing trip that left early Saturday morning. The boat is suspected to be about 50 miles off the Florida coast.

UPDATE: Nick Schuyler and Will Bleakley, two former football players for the University of South Florida, have been identified as the other two people on the boat.

Lions linebacker Ryan Nece, who between stints in Tampa and Detroit has played with both Cooper and Smith, had this to offer:

"As soon as I heard the news, I felt it like they were people in my own family," Nece said. "Those are two guys I really respect and two guys who are just blue collar good guys. They work hard. They are family guys.

"They are simple guys who just like to go out on a boat and just hang out and relax. They are not flashy. They are the opposite of what a football player's image is portrayed to society. They are really good guys.

Schuyler's father, Stu, is understandably devastated by the news.

Schuyler also told 10 Connects the first time his son went fishing with Cooper and Smith was last weekend. That trip lasted fifteen hours.

"I was worried sick and told him never to do that to me again," said Schuyler. "Now, I'm hopeful but still expecting the worst." Through tears, he added, "[My son is] my life, I don't know what I'll do."

It's unfair to speculate further until more details about the story emerge, but this brings to mind the sad tale of former LSU and Patriot defensive end Marquise Hill, who died of accidental drowning in Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain while visiting home during the offseason in 2007.