That might be the most clickbait title I have ever written but now I that I have your attention, let’s talk about Teddy Bridgewater. If you remember he was added late last season as a backup for Jared Goff because he was coaching a high school football team. So, what in the world can a part time backup quarterback get in trouble for?
In this day and age, it doesn’t surprise us when we see a current or ex-professional sports player get in trouble, but this one is going to blow your mind. Teddy Bridgewater saw a handful of snaps last season as we saw Goff go into concussion protocol during a game late last season. Prior to that, Bridgewater was coaching Miami Northwestern to a high school state title. Let’s take a step back for those who don’t know who Teddy is. Teddy was the quarterback for Louisville and went on to win the Heisman trophy. He was drafted by the Vikings in the first round in 2014. He led the team to the post season and was a multi-year Pro Bowl selection. After his Vikings tenure he bounced around the league and kind of faded into the sunset. He was known as Teddy Two Gloves because he had small hands for a quarterback, so he played with gloves on. He retired in 2023, but the Lions convinced him to come out of retirement and join the team after his high school team finished their season.
This week the internet was all abuzz with the suspension of him from coaching his high school team. But why? According to multiple sources he provided impermissible benefits to his players. What does that mean? Before we jump into that, Bridgewater is volunteering his time to coach the team, meaning he doesn’t take a paycheck. According to sources, he paid out of pocket for training camps ($14k), pride sets ($9500), pregame meals ($2200/week), recovery ($1300/week), Ubers to and from practice ($700/week) and field paint ($300/week). Bridgewater is a multimillionaire so shouldn’t he be allowed to spend his money on the team he coaches? It seems like he is doing it to better his team by paying for camps, recovery, and team building activities such as meals and making sure his players get to and from practice safely in Ubers. So, what is the big deal?
Now I am not saying that I disagree with what he did because I think it is super cool. But let me preface it with this. I looked into starting a non-profit that helped high school players pay for things such as physicals, camps, and equipment. Keep in mind, this is still a goal of mine, but I reached out to the MHSAA for their rules and regulations. I have a feeling that the rules here in Michigan are different than in Florida, but I have a feeling the premise is the same. I was told, at the time, athletes were only allowed to accept $750 in aid for sports. I can’t remember if that was per year or for their career. But why does this matter? The short answer is competitive balance. I know a lot of schools know how to dance around this but picture yourself as a stud football player in a nearby city to where Bridgewater coaches. He pays for all of this stuff and your school provides none of it. Those benefits can sway players to transfer.
In a perfect world what Bridgewater is doing should be applauded but, in this day and age, it is seen as a competitive advantage. Stuff like this is why a lot of folks do not want to donate money or time for high school athletics. For those of us that participated in sports in high school this is disheartening. We want to give back to those who gave to us. Coaches and players are different and so are the rules.
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