The first day of high school football practice took place without Teddy Bridgewater at Miami Northwestern, and that doesn’t sit well with the head of the Florida Coaches Coalition.
Bridgewater, a former NFL quarterback and the reigning Florida Dairy Farmers Coach of the Year, has been suspended for providing impermissible benefits to Bulls players during the 2024 season.
“It’s just an unfortunate incident altogether,” said Dr. Andrew Ramjit, executive director of the FCC. “In Miami-Dade County, that’s the most socioeconomic disadvantaged community in all of Florida, from what I’ve seen. What coaches have to deal with in Miami is unlike anywhere else in the state. They really have to fend for themselves. A lot of times you have parents who are working two jobs, and they can’t provide transportation or meals. For coach Bridgewater to do that, it shows how much he cares.
“The fact that he has been suspended, it’s alarming. The fact he’s not there on the first day of fall football with his players is sad.”
In a lengthy Facebook message asking for donations for the football program posted on July 7, Bridgwater said he spent considerable personal money on the team in 2024.
Bridgewater said he spent $700 a week on Uber rides for players, $14,000 for a four-night preseason training camp, $9,500 for pride sets (Northwestern-branded clothing), $1,300 a week for recovery trucks after games, and $2,200 a week for pregame meals. The FHSAA received an allegation against the school after the post and Bridgewater said he was suspended days later.
Northwestern is coming off a banner season in which it went 12-2 and won the Class 3A state championship. The Bulls outscored their five opponents by a combined score of 222-12 in the postseason.
Northwestern is expected to be one of the premier teams in the state — if not the country — this fall. In addition to returning five-star senior wide receiver Calvin Russell Jr. (Syracuse commit), four-star junior wide receiver Nick Lennear and three-star senior linebacker Desmond Johnson (Pitt commit), several top players transferred into the program this offseason.
The transfers include four-star senior defensive lineman James Johnson (Georgia commit), four-star senior linebacker Jordan Campbell (Miami commit), three-star safety Tedarius Hughes (Florida State commit) and highly recruited sophomore quarterback Neimann Lawrence.
The Florida High School Athletic Association told the USA TODAY Florida Network on July 28 that it is still gathering information from the school and did not have “any definitive answers on the results of the allegation.”
Ramjit called for transparency in how the state deals with Bridgewater.
“If he deserves a suspension, great,” Ramjit said. “If not, let’s have him back on the field with his players. We would like to see him back on the sidelines if he did not break any rules.
Florida Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas sent an open letter to FHSAA Executive Director Craig Damon on July 22, directing the FHSAA to review its policies and “ensure a common sense approach to support student athletes and families …”
Ramjit echoed the need for the FHSAA to change its policies.
“It’s outdated,” Ramjit said. “The FHSAA needs to go back to see what changes can be made. The entire situation with Teddy put a microscope on the way FHSAA conducts investigations. It will lead to more positive outcomes. Now, you have the Department of Education looking into their practices and saying this is antiquated and you need to update this.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida Coaches Coalition executive: Teddy Bridgewater situation ‘alarming’ and ‘sad’
Reporting by Jon Santucci, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
