CLEARWATER, Fla. – A Florida newspaper reported that the search for two NFL players and two other men missing in the Gulf of Mexico cost the U.S. Coast Guard $1.6 million.
The St. Petersburg Times reported Tuesday that the three-day search covered more than 20,000 square miles and required 230 combined hours of Coast Guard aircraft and boats.
Former University of South Florida football player Nick Schuyler was the only survivor. He was found atop the capsized 21-foot fishing boat on March 2, about two days after it overturned in the rough seas off Clearwater.
Searchers never found Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, free-agent NFL defensive lineman Corey Smith, who played for the Detroit Lions last season, and former USF player William Bleakley.
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