Lions DE Corey Smith missing off Florida coast

Lions free-agent defensive end Corey Smith is among a group of four boaters the U.S. Coast Guard is searching for off the coast of Tampa after the group did not return from a fishing trip that left shore early Saturday, the Coast Guard said.Smith, who spent the past three seasons with the Lions, was with a group of friends that left shore near Clearwater Pass around 6:30 a.m. Saturday in a 21-foot center-console boat, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard is using a 47-foot boat, a helicopter and an airplane to search a 750-square mile area west of Clearwater Pass.

Other people on the boat were identified as Oakland Raiders linebacker Victor (Marquis) Cooper, Will Bleakley and Nick Schuyler. Cooper and Smith played together with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004. The St. Petersburg Times on its Web site identified Bleakley and Schuyler as former University of South Florida players.

The Lions issued a statement about the incident.

“We are closely monitoring the Coast Guard reports involving a missing fishing boat off the Gulf Coast of Florida,” the statement said. “We have been informed by the Coast Guard that one of the passengers is Corey Smith, who played for the Lions the past three seasons.

“We will continue to gather more information while maintaining constant communication with the Coast Guard and local Florida authorities.

“First and foremost, however, is that our thoughts and prayers are with all the passengers, their families and all those involved in the search efforts.”

Smith’s agent, Ron Del Duca, last spoke with Smith on Friday and has remained in contact with the Coast Guard.

“My thoughts and prayers are with Corey and the other people on the boat right now,” Del Duca wrote in an e-mail to the Free Press. “I have been in touch with the Coast Guard, and they are using all available resources to locate these guys.