Last summer, former NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was suspended from his position as head football coach at Miami Northwestern High School for providing impermissible benefits to the student-athletes.
Allegations stemming from social media suggested Bridgewater spent $700 every week on Uber rides for student-athletes and $2,200 on pregame meals, among other expenses.
In the wake of that incident, Florida lawmakers are mulling the “Teddy Bridgewater Act” that would “allow coaches to spend up to $15,000 on student-athletes. The bill would require spending to be reported to the Florida High School Athletic Association.”
According to WEAR News, coaches could spend the money on food, transportation and recovery services.
Related: Coach Who Paid $700 a Week for Players’ Uber Rides Draws Scrutiny
The Florida Senate passed the bill last week, and now a similar bill must be passed in the House. If successful, the law would go into effect in July 2026.
Related: Coach Teddy Bridgewater Suspended Amid Personal Program Funding Controversy
Bridgewater weighed in and offered further insights into his decision to spend considerable personal funds on his student-athletes.
“I'm a father first before anything,” he said. “And when I decided to coach, those players became my sons. And I wanted to make sure I protected them best that I can and that's how it came about. Miami Northwestern is in a tough neighborhood and sometimes things can happen when kids are walking home and things like that. So, I just tried to protect them and give them a ride home instead of having them take those dangerous walks.”
Several coaches also spoke with WEAR News, expressing their support for this legislation.
"No coach is going to let a kid go hungry," Escambia High School's head football coach, Mike Bennet, said. "No coach is not going to make sure he has a pair of cleats to play in."
Bennett also pointed out some of the pitfalls of allowing coaches to spend personal funds on student-athletes, like under-the-table recruitment tactics.
"99.9% of them, that's not gonna happen," Bennett said. "I mean, you're not out there trying to, I mean, 'I'll buy you groceries every week to get you to come play for me.' That's not gonna happen. I mean, if it does, they're not gonna be in coaching very long."
Sources who spoke with The Palm Beach Post said the FHSAA should have revised its stance on “impermissible benefits” long ago. Providing transportation to low-income students with no other way home — from a school without activity buses — they say, is common decency.
