March 1 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a missing fishing boat with four people aboard that ESPN.com said included National Football League players Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper.

Cooper, Smith, and two of their friends were on a 21-foot fishing craft that was reported overdue from Seminole Boat Ramp in Clearwater Pass, Florida, at 1:30 a.m. New York time today, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

Smith is a defensive end for the Detroit Lions and Cooper is a linebacker for the Oakland Raiders.

Troy Asmus, an agent for Cooper, and Ron Del Duca, the agent for Smith, told ESPN.com that the two players were among the missing and that the NFL was aware of the situation.

“We are staying in contact with the Coast Guard and with the Lions and Raiders,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in an e- mail.

Coast Guard helicopters, airplanes and boats are searching a 750-square-mile area of the Gulf of Mexico about 50 miles west of Clearwater Pass, according to the news release.

The release identified the others on the boat as Nick Skyler and William Bleakley. The four men had left the dock about 6:30 a.m. yesterday.

A news conference is scheduled for 3 p.m. at St. Petersburg, Florida, the Coast Guard said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Larry Siddons in New York at lsiddons@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: March 1, 2009 15:41 EST