Marcell Ozuna and at least two other members of the Miami Marlins turned down invitations to go out on the water with Jose Fernandez and tried to discourage Fernandez from going out early Sunday morning.

"It was a bad decision for him," Ozuna, perhaps Fernandez's closest friend on the team, said. "He heard everybody say, 'No, go back to your house and take it easy.' Then you wake up and see the news."

Fernandez was a patron at a Miami River bar and restaurant the night of the fatal accident, a spokeswoman for the establishment confirmed.

Ozuna said all of the players knew Fernandez planned to go out on the boat that night.

"Everybody knew he was crazy about that boat and loved being out on the water," Ozuna said. "I told him I couldn't go out that night because I had the kids and my wife waiting for me."