Search for Missing NFL Boaters Cost the Coast Guard $1.6 Million
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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.
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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.