Marquis Cooper, the Oakland Raiders linebacker, has not yet returned from a fishing trip that was supposed to end on Saturday. There are three other people along with the 26-year old Cooper on the 21-foot boat.
Cooper is known to be an avid fisherman hooked on to saltwater fishing. Two boats and 50 fishing poles testimony to his love for fishing. No interview or information on his biggest catch though.
The 21-foot center console boat left Clearwater Pass early Saturday morning with Cooper and his friends onboard. The Coast Guard started a search for them at around 1:30 am using a 47-foot boat and a helicopter. However, it is a 750-mile area west of Clearwater Pass that the Coast Guard had to cover and that too in increasingly bad weather condition.
When the boat left harbor, the waves were 2 to 4 feet and by evening the seas were up to seven feet and more and the wind speed touched 20 knots. A small craft advisory was issued. What has probably really gone against the crew of the boat is that they are a good 50 miles off shore in a boat not designed for rough weather so far out into the sea.
