Sad news…the search for two NFL players and a third man who disappeared in the Gulf of Mexico after their fishing boat overturned was suspended last night by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, free agent Corey Smith, who played last season for the Detroit Lions, and former University of South Florida tight end Will Bleakley have been lost at see after their boat capsized as the anchor was being raised in during a windy and stormy day in Clearwater, Florida on Feb. 28. As previously reported, one of the men (Schuyler) were found.

“We will continue to pray for a miracle, though we fully understand and respect the decision of the Coast Guard,” the Detroit Lions said on their Web site. “While we still have that hope, we have begun to cope with the grim reality of this sad and tragic situation.”

At about 3 p.m. yesterday, a life jacket and a cooler were found about 16 miles southeast of where the boat and Schuyler were located March 2, Captain Timothy Close, the Coast Guard commander in St. Petersburg, Florida, said. At sunset, the search was called off.

“With the Coast Guard’s decision to cease search and rescue efforts, we are faced with the reality that this mission may not turn out the way that we all desire,” the Oakland Raiders said on their Web site.

Source: Bloomberg.com