Following an incident that led NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to be suspended from his high school coaching duties, the Florida Senate passed a bill that would make his infraction legal. According to Local 10 News, The “Teddy Bridgewater bill” allows high school head coaches to use personal funds to provide financial assistance to their players, so long as they report what they spend.
The Florida High School Athletic Association suspended Bridgewater in September for the rest of the 2025-26 school year for providing impermissible benefits to athletes. Bridgewater coached Miami Northwestern High School football in 2024 and was set to lead the team in 2025 before he left the school to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Northwestern suspended Bridgewater in July after he revealed in a social media post that he spent $700 a week on Uber rides for his players during the 2024 season. He also acknowledged covering transportation, team-branded clothing, meals and recovery-related expenses at combined costs of about $27,000. Bridgewater in that post asked for donations to the Northwestern football program.
If Senate Bill 178 becomes law, coaches in Florida would be permitted to make such personal expenditures. A similar bill is also currently moving through the Florida House.
“I’m protective, and I’m a father first before anything,” Bridgewater said last season upon signing with the Buccaneers. “And when I decided to coach, those players became my sons. And I wanted to make sure that I just protected them in the best way that I can. I think that’s what came about.
“Miami Northwestern’s in a tough neighborhood and sometimes things can happen when the kids are walking home and things like that. So I was just trying to protect them and give them…
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