NFL Players Reported Missing From Boat Trip

[red]

well they had hopes that the other 3 might be alive because the survivor said they were all wearing life jackets

but now the coast guard has called off the search

rip

[Brandon494]

So I made one of the jokes, and it was distasteful. For that I apologize.

But I also find it a little troubling that this is a national news story in the first place. Pointless accidents happen to decent people everywhere, everyday. They're all tragic.

This particular story shouldn't be any more heartbreaking or important than any other simply because two of these guys happened to play in the NFL, in my opinion. You put their actual names in the headline instead of 'NFL players' and this never gets on the news wire. I don't want to cast dispersions on anyone's interest in the story, but personally, I don't get.

So if I have a snarky attitude about the story, it's fueled by my perception of misplaced media priorities as opposed to the nature of the story itself. It goes without saying the story itself is a sad one, but it's just one of many.

I bet you would have a different opinion if it was a Packer player who was lost at sea.

[DonHutson]

I bet you would have a different opinion if it was a Packer player who was lost at sea.

Of course I would be more interested because I would have more of a personal stake in it. I don't have a problem with this being a local story in the markets where these players played. Any similar accident would be a local story in the market where it happened. But if Jarret Bush and Breno Giacomini were missing, I still wouldn't expect this to be a national story.

Maybe I'm just an asshole, but I don't why the rest of us should care more about this than any similar story involving non-athletes.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

well they had hopes that the other 3 might be alive because the survivor said they were all wearing life jackets

but now the coast guard has called off the search

rip

Life jacket or not....very few people can withstand hypothermia.

[MadtownPacker]

These guys probably drowned if big waves flipped the boat. Hope they didnt suffer too bad. RIP

[oregonpackfan]

well they had hopes that the other 3 might be alive because the survivor said they were all wearing life jackets

but now the coast guard has called off the search

rip

Life jacket or not....very few people can withstand hypothermia.

Even though the water temp was a reported 65 degrees F, the body temp is 98 degrees. With hypothermia, the internal organs begin to shut down.

This is just a tragic story.

[imscott72]

Nick Schuyler, the lone survivor from a Florida fishing-trip disaster involving two NFL players before the search was called off, revealed that the four lost men at one point had a helicopter hovering over them.
The helicopter's light shined down on the four, but must not have seen them. Schuyler said the NFL players -- Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper -- were first to drift away in the rough waves. He called former USF player Will Bleakley "a hero" for swimming under the capsized boat they were hanging onto to retrieve life vests. Bleakley eventually was separated too. The search for Cooper, Smith, and Bleakley was called off at sunset Tuesday.
Source: Associated Press
Related: Marquis Cooper

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

Really sad story. I just hope they didn't suffer or are not still suffering. God be with them.

[mission]

Really sad story. I just hope they didn't suffer or are not still suffering. God be with them.

That's really all you can hope for really.

Rest in Peace.

[SkinBasket]

I bet you would have a different opinion if it was a Packer player who was lost at sea.

Of course I would be more interested because I would have more of a personal stake in it. I don't have a problem with this being a local story in the markets where these players played. Any similar accident would be a local story in the market where it happened. But if Jarret Bush and Breno Giacomini were missing, I still wouldn't expect this to be a national story.

Maybe I'm just an asshole, but I don't why the rest of us should care more about this than any similar story involving non-athletes.

I'm with ya on this one. It feels like they're sensationalizing the situation due to the minor NFL ties, probably to the detriment of the friends and family involved.

[Patler]

I bet you would have a different opinion if it was a Packer player who was lost at sea.

Of course I would be more interested because I would have more of a personal stake in it. I don't have a problem with this being a local story in the markets where these players played. Any similar accident would be a local story in the market where it happened. But if Jarret Bush and Breno Giacomini were missing, I still wouldn't expect this to be a national story.

Maybe I'm just an asshole, but I don't why the rest of us should care more about this than any similar story involving non-athletes.

I'm with ya on this one. It feels like they're sensationalizing the situation due to the minor NFL ties, probably to the detriment of the friends and family involved.

People are interested because the subjects are "famous" in one way or another and the story is tragic. It is the same for athletes far and wide, performers and entertainers, the wealthy, etc.

Would Paris Hilton's stories be national news if she worked for minimum wage at the local Walmart?
Would Britney Spears many meltdowns have made even the local news if she was a nurse at the hospital?
If you or I had an altercation in a bar would it make national news like for Barnett.
If Brett Favre retired and unretired, then had a beef with his boss at Am Fam Insurance, would Greta Van Sustern interview him?

I don't know if it is sensationalizing the situation, it is just giving the public stories they are interested in hearing, Is it any worse because the people are "famous"? No, of course not. But it is of greater general interest because more people are interested in hearing about it.

Are any of us interested in knowing who is brought in for interviews at a local business? Why do we care who the Packers bring in?

[Rastak]

These guys probably drowned if big waves flipped the boat. Hope they didnt suffer too bad. RIP

Well, I am only repeating what one of the hosts said on NFL radio. He stated he had some contacts in the coast gaurd and all 4 of them were clinging to the boat. Per this host, they one by one started to panic and hallucinate from the sun and left the boat. The dude they found was the only one who stayed clinging to the thing.


He also mentioned they found one empty life jacket. They all 4 had them on when the boat flipped.


Sad story no matter what really happened.

[GrnBay007]

Lions retire missing boater Smith's No. 93 for 2009 season



RICHMOND, Va. -- The Detroit Lions will retire the number 93 for the 2009 football season in memory of player Corey Smith, one of three men lost when their fishing boat capsized off the Florida Gulf Coast three weeks ago.

Lions player development director Galen Duncan told several hundred mourners in Smith's hometown church Saturday that Smith's number would be retired for a year in honor of a player of extraordinary heart and competitive drive.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80f6181b&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true

[Gunakor]

Lions retire missing boater Smith's No. 93 for 2009 season



RICHMOND, Va. -- The Detroit Lions will retire the number 93 for the 2009 football season in memory of player Corey Smith, one of three men lost when their fishing boat capsized off the Florida Gulf Coast three weeks ago.

Lions player development director Galen Duncan told several hundred mourners in Smith's hometown church Saturday that Smith's number would be retired for a year in honor of a player of extraordinary heart and competitive drive.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=090...s&confirm=true

Anyone think they would have given that number to another player this year had they not retired it? Would any of the players have even accepted the number? Gosh, I'd hate to be the guy they gave that number to this year.

[Guiness]

[quote="Gunakor"]

Lions retire missing boater Smith's No. 93 for 2009 season

Not to be callous or anything, but why retire his number? Obviously, you put it on the shelf for a while; do something to honour his memory, such as a ceremony, or an award, but I would tend to think retiring a number would be for things done on the field.

ok - now being callous - a kid points to one of the jerseys hanging from the rafters, and ask his dad 'What did he do?' The response would be 'He died'. But what can you expect from that franchise?