By Ross Jackson
This is an odd story, and honestly a rather disappointing one. Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater led an undefeated championship season last year at his alma mater, Miami Northwestern high school. He did this while he was away from the NFL game during the regular season before eventually signing with the Detroit Lions and leading a scoring drive in the NFC Conference Championship Game.
Now, after finding that success for his school and players, Miami Northwestern has suspended Bridgewater due to providing his players “impermissible benefits.”
That sounds serious. It sounds like he may have been providing goods like cars and other expensive items in order to lure the best talent to his high school. Except that’s not at all what he was doing.
The impermissible benefits cited included providing four nights of camp for his players, Uber fares, field paint, pride seats, recovery services and meals.
This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. The First Academy in Orlando, Fla. also received a two-year postseason ban and a hefty fine because students received benefits including “a free Uber ride,” per Rivals.
“There is recent precedent for the FHSAA punishing programs for players receiving free meals and Uber rides. Last fall, several players at The First Academy were found to have received impermissible benefits, including a free Uber ride. The FHSAA hit the Royals with a two-year postseason ban and a $36,000 fine as a result.”
Eyebrows seem to have been raised when Bridgewater first took to Facebook to ask for crowdsourced funding this year to help cover some of the expenses he took on last year. Those expenses included $700 a week for Uber fares, $13,000 for recovery services, $14,000 for camp, $300 a week for field paint and other charges.
Per Bridgewater in another (now deleted) Facebook post, the suspension was handed down by Miami Northwestern, and the FHSAA is looking into the situation further to gather more information. The pressure potentially applied by the FHSAA feels representative of a grandstanding position.
It’s worth mentioning that Bridgewater is not an employee of Miami Northwestern and has stated his intent to continue supporting his team despite the suspension.
“And if it comes down to it,” Bridgewater said in the now deleted post. “I will volunteer from the bleachers like I used to in 2018 and 2019 when no one had a problem.”
Bridgewater or not, coaches that take the extra step to help their players eat, stay off the streets, get to practices and games safely and pay for a freshly painted field should be celebrated, not punished. In the age of NIL, this seems to send a wildly inconsistent message and unfortunately sends one to the students that have now lost a sure meal and transportation among other things that they simply didn’t deserve in the first place. It couldn’t be further from the truth.
However, that sounds like – for now – that’s the side of the story the FHSAA will choose to exist.
