WRAL Sports Fan

North Carolina State University

Former NCSU player missing

Mar 1, 2009

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) - Two NFL players are among a group of
boaters reported missing off Florida's Gulf Coast.
Sports agent Ron Del Duca said his client, Detroit Lions
defensive end Corey Smith, and Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis
Cooper were two of the four boaters who were reported missing
Sunday morning by the Coast Guard. Smith played at NC State under Mike O'Cain and Chuck Amato, prior to being drafted by Tampa Bay in 2002. Smith and Cooper formed a friendship while playing for the Bucs between 2002 and 2004.
The Coast Guard issued a statement saying the boaters were on a
21-foot vessel that left Clearwater Pass on Saturday morning for a
fishing trip and did not return as expected. Crews used a
helicopter and a 47-foot motor-life boat to search a 750-square
mile area west of Clearwater Pass on Sunday.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)