Corey Smith

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – There’s a Bears connection to the tragic story involving one of the NFL players lost at sea off the coast of Florida.

New Bears defensive line coach Rod Marinelli was defensive end Corey Smith’s position coach with the Buccaneers in 2002 and his head coach with the Lions in 2006-08.

The Coast Guard ended its search for Smith, Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper and former college football player William Bleakley around sundown Tuesday. A fourth man, Nick Schuyler, was found alive sitting atop a capsized boat about 40 miles west of Florida’s Gulf Coast Monday afternoon. 

“Corey Smith is a very special guy to me,” Marinelli said. “He is a cornerstone of what this league is about: toughness, effort and team. Corey is as tough as any guy I ever coached. He earned his way into the NFL, along with the respect of his teammates and coaches. 

“He is a humble man who works.  As a coach, you couldn’t ask for more than what Corey brings to a team.  And as an individual, he is the type of person you want your kids to emulate.  My thoughts and prayers have been with all three missing men and their families.”

The four men had left for a fishing trip on Cooper’s 21-foot boat about 6:30 a.m. Saturday. High waves apparently turned the boat over Saturday evening.

Rescuers were unsuccessful in their attempts to find Smith, Cooper and Bleakley despite searching for them with a C-130 plane, three boats and two helicopters equipped with thermal imaging technology.