Former Miami Dolphin Falls Off Boat, Swims 9 Miles

A solo fishing trip off Florida’s coast didn’t turn out as planned for a former Miami Dolphins fullback Wednesday night.

Rob Konrad, 38, headed out from a Boca Raton boat dock to cast a few lines on his own before meeting friends for dinner, The Tampa Tribune reported. When Konrad didn’t keep that Wednesday night dinner date, friends became concerned and the U.S. Coast Guard was alerted.

It seems those friends did have cause for concern.

Konrad had his 36-foot boat on auto pilot and somehow fell off into the chilly waters, the Sun-Sentinel reported. Realizing he couldn’t make it back on the boat, the former football player swam 9 miles to shore on his own, the paper noted.

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Once safely on land around 4 a.m. Thursday, Konrad contacted the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and was taken to a local hospital for treatment of possible hypothermia, the paper reported. The early morning low in the Boca Raton area Thursday was 57 degrees, according to AccuWeather.com.

“He was lucky he was able to swim nine miles throughout the night in the dark in the frigid waters,” Coast Guard public affairs specialist Mark Barney told Syracuse.com. “He was pretty exhausted.”

Konrad was drafted by the Dolphins in 1999 and played for the team until 2004. He is now a financial advisor.

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