Miami Northwestern High School has suspended head coach Teddy Bridgewater for the 2025-26 school year, according to a report Friday by USA Today. The Florida High School Athletic Association accepted the penalty and implemented a $2,500 fine, $2,250 of which would be returned if Miami Northwestern does not have any other violations.
The saga began back in July after Bridgewater, who made $65 million as a player, asked the public for help after he said he poured $14,000 of his own money into the Bulls program last season, which resulted in a Class 3A state championship. Among the things Bridgewater spent money on, he said, was $700 a week for Uber rides, which he couched as charity but others viewed as recruiting inducements, a violation of FHSAA rules.
Five days after going public with his request, Bridgewater was suspended by Miami Northwestern. In a Facebook post, Bridgewater claimed he could not be suspended since he was not an employee of Miami Northwestern. "This is my last post about this bs," he wrote.
“I'm a father first before anything,” Bridgewater later said. “And when I decided to coach, those players became my sons. “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.”
Earlier this year, the FHSAA dropped a $36,000 fine and a 2-year probation period on a different Florida high school for providing a free Uber ride program for players. However, it would have been difficult for the FHSAA to levy a punishment at that level since most of the players from Northwestern's 2024 team and the school's principal are no longer there.
That, of course, includes Bridgewater. He left the team in August to resume his NFL career, and is currently backing up Baker Mayfield for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Under interim head coach Jaquan Victrum, Miami Northwestern is off to a 1-1 start this season and remains the No. 1-ranked team in Class 3A. The Bulls host Norland High School on Friday night. When Bridgewater, 32, inevitably finishes his NFL career for a second time, it will be interesting to see: A) if he returns to coaching, B) if he does so at his alma mater, and C) if he again asks the public to help him Uber his players to and from practice.