Teddy Bridgewater is no longer the head coach of his alma mater at Northwestern (Miami), but he still has an impact on high school football in the state of Florida.
The Florida Senate on Thursday unanimously passed CS/CS/SB 178, known as the “Teddy Bridgewater Act,” which allows K-12 head coaches to use $15,000 in personal funds per year to support student-athlete welfare.
The bill was immediately approved by a vote of 38-0.
Officially, the law requires, “The Florida Intercollegiate Athletic Association to adopt laws authorizing a head coach to support the welfare of a student by using personal funds to provide certain influence to the student; requiring the head coach to report such use of personal funds to the association; provided that such use of personal funds is not deemed to constitute an improper benefit, etc.”
Bridgewater, once a star quarterback at Northwestern, returned to his alma mater and immediately coached the Bulls to the Class 3A title in 2024. However, after admitting to covering food and transportation expenses for his players while soliciting financial support from fans, he was banned from coaching the team in 2025 for providing prohibited benefits.
Previously ruled an impermissible benefit, Bridgewater’s actions led to a bill introduced by Senator Shervin Jones that will now move to the House of Representatives for a second chamber vote and, if passed, will be sent to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to potentially be signed into law.
The 32nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings, Bridgewater, 33, has played for Minnesota, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions and, in 2025, was Baker Mayfield’s backup for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.