A Miami High School has suspended its former football coach– an ex-Miami Dolphin quarterback– for potentially giving illegal gifts to players.
Miami Northwestern Highschool won a 2024 state championship with alumnus and retired 10-year NFL vet Teddy Bridgewater as its head coach.
"Happy for these kids man, they worked hard all year so I’m glad they get to celebrate it," Bridgewater said right after last year’s victory.
Now, Bridgewater says he’s suspended from the program.
This was after soliciting donations on Facebook to help support the team – in which he revealed he previously paid thousands for student athlete expenses like Uber rides and meals– out of his own pocket. Legally speaking, those might be what’re called “impermissible benefits.”
The post certainly got the attention of the Florida State High School Athletic Association – which then notified Miami Northwestern of the potential rules violations.
Bridgewater confirmed the suspension on social media– despite him un-retiring from football after last year to join the Detroit Lions.
The 32-year-old publicized action taken against him by Miami Northwestern High School in a social media post in which he also reaffirmed his desire to continuing coaching the team for which he once played.
“I'm not going anywhere,” Bridgewater's social media post said. “And if it comes down to it, I will volunteer from the bleachers like I used to in 2018 and 2019 when no one had a problem.”
The athletic association’s scrutiny of Miami Northwestern comes after it fined The First Academy in Orlando $36,000 for similar violations – and banned them from the postseason for two years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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