Family of NFL player Marquis Cooper asks that search in gulf end

ST. PETERSBURG — The family of Marquis Cooper on Friday requested that the volunteer search for the missing NFL player end and thanked supporters for their efforts.

"The family decided not to continue the search, as they have no reason to believe they should continue," Mark Casey said Friday afternoon in response to questions about the search. Casey is news director at the Phoenix TV station where Cooper's father, Bruce, is a sportscaster.

"They have not asked anyone to continue the search," Casey said. "To the contrary, they would ask that the search efforts stop. They do thank the searchers for the large effort that has been carried out for the last few days."

The call to end the search came just hours after a Madeira Beach boat captain said the family had asked that the search continue.

"If they're doing that, they're doing that on their own accord," Casey said. "Perhaps the communication hasn't gotten through to them yet."

Bruce Cooper called a news conference Wednesday to ask for volunteers to continue searching for his son, saying he remained optimistic that his son was still alive. Marquis Cooper, fellow NFL player Corey Smith and former University of South Florida football players Will Bleakley and Nick Schuyler were on a fishing trip in the gulf last Saturday when their boat capsized, leaving them stranded. The Coast Guard found Schuyler alive on Monday, but the others remain missing.

On Friday, Bruce Cooper said through a prepared statement that the family had received "new information" and decided to stop the search.

"We want to thank everyone in Arizona State, Tampa, and all over the United States for their thoughts, well-wishes, prayers and volunteer efforts on our behalf," the statement said. "We especially want to thank the members of the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Air Force, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife agency for their extraordinary and courageous efforts to rescue Marquis and his friends."

The news came as a surprise to the head of the local Merchant Marine Captains Association, who said earlier Friday that the family had asked her to continue the search and planned to redeploy a dedicated recovery vessel if private donations could be raised for fuel.

Two commercial fishing boats conducting normal business have kept an eye out for Cooper and the two others who have been missing since their 21-foot boat capsized last Saturday.

Also in the prepared statement, Bruce Cooper said the family had decided not to have a memorial or prayer service and "asks instead that all of you memorialize Marquis in your hearts and thoughts."

Times staff writer Emily Nipps contributed to this report. Brant James can be reached at (727) 893-8804 or brant@sptimes.com.