Marquis Cooper Marquis Victor Cooper ( March 11 , 1982 – March 2009 ) was an American football linebacker in the National Football League . He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft . He played college football at the University of Washington . Cooper had also played for the Minnesota Vikings , Pittsburgh Steelers , Seattle Seahawks , Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders . On March 1 , 2009 , Cooper and three other men went missing after their boat capsized in rough seas near Clearwater , Florida . Cooper and two of the men are now presumed to be dead . Early and personal life . Cooper was the oldest child of KPNX sportscaster Bruce Cooper and wife Donna . He has a younger sister named Donielle . He was born in Mesa , Arizona and in raised in Gilbert , Arizona , and attended Gilbert Junior High School and Highland High School , where he became an All - State player in football . Though his grandfather worked in the athletic department of Arizona State University , Cooper attended the University of Washington . He graduated with a degree in sociology and was a member of the Pac - 10 All - Conference team in 2003 . Cooper and wife Rebekah , who met while attending the University of Washington , have a daughter named Delaney Christine . In the offseason , the family lived in Tampa , Florida . Professional career . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Cooper was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round ( 79th overall ) of the 2004 NFL Draft . He was released just before the start of the 2006 season , on September 2 . Minnesota Vikings . Cooper signed with the Minnesota Vikings on September 5 , 2006 . He was released on October 30 . First stint with Pittsburgh Steelers . On October 31 , 2006 , Cooper was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Steelers . The Steelers waived him on December 5 . Seattle Seahawks . Cooper was signed by the Seattle Seahawks on December 12 . He finished the 2006 season with the team and was released the following year on July 27 , 2007 . Second stint with Pittsburgh Steelers . Cooper was claimed off waivers by the Steelers on July 30 , 2007 . On September 19 , he was released by the Steelers . Jacksonville Jaguars . On November 27 , 2007 , Cooper signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars . The Jaguars released him on December 7 . Third stint with Pittsburgh Steelers . The Steelers signed Cooper for a third time on December 9 , 2007 . He became a free agent in the 2008 offseason . Oakland Raiders . Cooper was signed by the Oakland Raiders on November 5 , 2008 , after linebacker Robert Thomas was placed on injured reserve . Boating accident and disappearance . On March 1 , 2009 , the U . S . Coast Guard reported that a 21 - foot fishing boat was missing off the Gulf Coast near Clearwater , Florida . The boat was carrying four passengers : Cooper , Corey Smith , and two former University of South Florida football players , Nick Schuyler and Will Bleakley . The four men left Clearwater Pass on February 28 at 6 : 30 a . m . and were expected to return later that night . The Coast Guard began searching for the missing boat shortly after midnight on March 1 , 2009 . By 1 : 35 p . m . local time on March 2 , 2009 , the boat had been located , overturned , with Schuyler clinging to it . The search for the three missing men was called off by the Coast Guard , but friends and relatives organized their own search . The private search was called off on March 6 . Cooper , Smith , and Bleakley are presumed dead . On March 11 , Cooper ' s wife filed for a death certificate in civil court . On March 25 , 2009 , a report was released based on a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigation into the capsizing ; the investigation included interviews with Schuyler ( the survivor ) and an inspection of the boat . The report concluded the following : The conclusions were accompanied by additional details from the Schuyler interviews . According to Schuyler , after the capsizing , he and the other three men , all wearing flotation device s , struggled overnight to remain on top of the capsized hull of the boat , with water reaching chest - high over the partially submerged hull and waves of approximately 6 feet . Cooper and Smith became non - responsive and separated from the vessel between 5 : 30 and 6 : 30 the morning of March 1 , and Bleakley became non - responsive and separated about 24 hours later , which was less than six hours before Schuyler was rescued . The investigator described the symptoms Schuyler witnessed as characteristic of hypothermia .