Former Miami Dolphins player Rob Konrad survived a nine mile swim to the Palm Beach County shore overnight after he fell off a 36-foot boat, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Konrad's assistant dropped him off at a dock in Boca Raton at 10:00 a.m. Thursday for a solo fishing trip, according to NBC affiliate WPTV.
Friends became alarmed when Konrad didn't come back for dinner and alerted the U.S. Coast Guard, which dispatched a helicopter to search for him and the vessel.
Konrad, 38, apparently tripped and fell overboard around 1:00 p.m. The boat was on autopilot and headed towards the Bahamas, set at 5 mph, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office report.
Konrad swam nine miles to shore, approaching a police officer at 1800 South Ocean Blvd. in Palm Beach. According to the report, Konrad - wearing just his underwear - told the officer he had been swimming for 10 hours. They picked him up around 4:40 a.m. Friday and took him to Good Samaritan Hospital to be treated for symptoms of hypothermia and dehydration.
Konrad said he had been fishing and had hooked a fish but lost his footing and fell overboard, the report said. He said he couldn't catch up to the boat so he began to swim toward land.
The Dolphins drafted Konrad in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. The fullback played parts of six seasons in Miami, recording seven touchdowns.
