The overturned boat that was carrying four football players on a fishing trip is seen in the Gulf of Mexico. (FNC)
TAMPA, Fla. – The wife of NFL player Marquis Cooper is seeking a presumptive death certificate a week after the Coast Guard called off its search for the missing boater and two friends.
Rebekah Cooper filed a petition for the certificate Wednesday in civil court.
The Oakland Raiders linebacker departed from Clearwater Pass in a 21-foot boat with free-agent NFL defensive lineman Corey Smith and two former University of South Florida football players on Feb. 28.
Their boat overturned after encountering rough waters in the Gulf of Mexico.
Nick Schuyler was found clinging to the boat two days later. The other men have not been found.
With the presumptive death certificate, Cooper's beneficiaries can collect life insurance and other benefits.
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