As a football coach at Miami Northwestern High School, NFL player Teddy Bridgewater was suspended in July for providing his players with financial benefits. In a recent interview, he shared why he felt the need to help the kids with the money he used.
According to ESPN, the football player was suspended after he made a Facebook post asking for donations to help host a camp for the boys. In the post, he asked for people to help pay (he shelled out
$14,000) for the players to be fed with “three hot meals a day from local black owned restaurants and a snack on some of those days.” He also mentioned that $9,500 went toward matching clothing, $300 per week to paint the field, $1,300 every week for recovery trucks, $2,200 for the team’s weekly pregame meal, and $700 per week on Uber rides.Seven days after placing the post on social media, he was suspended by the Florida High School Athletic Association for providing for his players.
The team won a state championship this past season.
A reporter asked him about the suspension, and he explained why he ensured the kids were safe and able to participate in the tournament.
“I think everyone knows that I’m just a charitable guy and I’m a father first before anything,” Bridgewater said. “When I decided to coach, those players became my sons, and I just wanted to protect them in the best way I can.”
He goes on to explain that the neighborhood the boys are from is tough, and he felt the need to make sure they got home safely.
“Miami Northwestern is in a tough neighborhood, and sometimes things can happen when kids are walking home and different things like that. So, I just tried to protect them, give them a ride home instead of them having to take those dangerous walks. I just want people to continue to see me for the person that I’ve been from the time I arrived in the NFL, from the time that I arrived at the University of Louisville –- just a humble guy who has a big heart and a cheerful giver.”
Bridgewater just recently signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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