NEW ORLEANS -- The body of New England Patriots player
Marquise Hill was found Monday, a day after he was reported missing
following a personal watercraft accident on Lake Pontchartrain.
Hill's body was discovered by searchers about a quarter of a
mile from where the 24-year-old former LSU star and a female
companion were involved in the accident, Capt. Brian Clark of the
Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Department said.
"We have suffered a stunning and tragic loss," Patriots coach
Bill Belichick said in a written statement Monday evening.
"Marquise will be remembered as a thoughtful and caring young man
who established himself as one of the year-round daily fixtures of
our team. I send my deepest condolences to the Hill family."
Patriots defensive lineman Jarvis Green, a fellow Louisiana native and former LSU player, echoed those thoughts.
"I lost a brother, man," Green said. "He
was a funny guy. ... He'd just sit there and talk to you, say some
funny things off his head that'd make you laugh. He was good to be
around."
The Coast Guard was called Sunday night, Petty Officer Tom
Atkeson said. The search began immediately, using boats and
helicopters.
By the time the body was found, the Coast Guard, Wildlife and
Fisheries, the New Orleans Police Department and Jefferson Parish
Sheriff's Department were involved, Clark said.
Loved ones including Hill's fiancee, Inell Benn, and friends,
including Patriots teammate Randall Gay, waited anxiously along the
shoreline as the search went on. They consoled one another when
authorities told them Hill had been found dead.
"Right now's a terrible time," Benn said. "I don't know what
to feel right now."
Gay, who also played with Hill at LSU, had planned to spend the
holiday weekend in Baton Rouge, but drove to New Orleans on Monday
to monitor the search.
"Knowing that I have to go back to work and go look at his
locker this week, it's tough," Gay said.
Hill's body was taken to the Orleans Parish Coroner's office,
but phone messages left there and on coroner Frank Minyard's cell
phone were not immediately returned.
Hill's agent, Albert Elias, said he had been told Hill and a
young woman were riding a personal watercraft Sunday in the lake when both of them went into the water, which had a strong current.
Authorities said the woman was able to make it to a pylon and
hang on until she was rescued, while Hill was last seen floating
away from the scene.
Hill played on LSU's national championship team and was a
second-round draft pick by New England in 2004. Hill had yet to
start for the Patriots, playing in 13 games in his NFL career.
"We are absolutely heartbroken," Patriots owner Robert Kraft
said in a statement. "Marquise was a very respectful young man who
worked hard to improve and was always eager to contribute to the
team, both on the field and in the community."
The woman, whose identity was not available Monday, was rescued
and sent to Tulane Medical Center where she told them Hill had
tried to keep her calm as the two were drifting away from each
other.
Neither Hill nor the woman wore a life preserver, Atkeson said. According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Hill's death was the second on Lake Pontchartrain over the holiday weekend. A man died Sunday afternoon after diving into the water from a boat to rescue his wife from a stalled personal watercraft, but he never reached her, the Mandeville Sheriff's Office reported. The man also was not wearing a flotation device, investigators told the Times-Picayune.
"It's so important to have a life jacket and a signaling
device," Atkeson said. "One keeps you afloat and the other helps
us find you."
Elias said Hill, a defensive end, spent much of his time since
Hurricane Katrina helping rebuild the homes of family members
including his mother, Sherry, and the mother of his 2-year-old son.
"From what I hear he's done a lot to help with things after
Katrina and I know he had a great passion for the city of New
Orleans," said former LSU quarterback Matt Mauck, who was Hill's
teammate at LSU. "Off field he was a really kind person, kind of
like a gentle giant. And not only for LSU, but for New England and
everyone who got a chance to meet him throughout his life, everyone
has to be extremely saddened and disappointed to hear the news."
After going to the NFL, Hill continued to do much of his
offseason training at LSU's Baton Rouge campus, about 80 miles up
the Mississippi River from New Orleans, and was known and admired
by current Tigers players, university athletics spokesman Michael
Bonnette said.
"His presence meant a lot for some of the younger guys. He gave
them someone to look up to and he was always there for them,"
Bonnette said. "Here's a 6-foot-6, 300-pound guy, as intimidating
as can be, and yet every time you approached him he always welcomed
you with big old smile. In between the lines, he had his game-face
on, but outside the lines, in the community or in the weight room,
he was always smiling and having a good time."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.