Metairie, Louisiana--Former LSU star defensive end and current New England Patriots player Marquise Hill is missing in Lake Pontchartrain following a jet ski accident Sunday evening, his agent Albert Elias told WWL-TV.

Hill and a woman were on jet skis when they fell off for an unapparent reason. Elias told the television station the woman, who could not swim, was able to float to safety, but Hill drifted in another direction.

Coast Guard rescue crews and choppers are searching for Hill.

Elias said that neither Hill nor the woman was wearing a life preserver.

"I'm an optimistic guy," said Elias. "He's a strong kid and a fighter."

Hill played on LSU's national championship team of 2003 and prepped at De La Salle. He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round in 2004.

"He's a guy that puts other people in front of himself," said Elias. "He was worried about trying to get her to safety while he was floating in another direction."