DeSantis signs ‘Teddy Bridgewater Act’ to allow coaches to help student-athletes
Almost a year after former Miami Northwestern football coach Teddy Bridgewater was suspended for providing benefits deemed impermissible at the time by the Florida High School Athletic Association, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation on Friday that would change those rules.
DeSantis signed Senate Bill 178, which became known as the “Teddy Bridgewater Act.”
The law would allow Florida K-12 public middle and high school coaches to use up to $15,000 of their own funds to support student-athletes with food, transportation and recovery services with written parental consent and reporting to the FHSAA.
The bill, which was originally proposed by Florida Senator Shervin Jones, stems from Bridgewater’s suspension last summer after he was found to have used his own money to pay for Northwestern players’ food, transportation and athletic recovery expenses. In a social media post which was since deleted, Bridgewater asked Bulls fans to help him with team expenses, which included $700 per week for Uber rides, $1,300 per week for athletic recovery services and $2,200 per week for pre-game meals during the season.
Bridgewater was later suspended a few months after leading Northwestern to the Class 3A state championship in 2024 in his lone season as coach.
The former Northwestern star quarterback and backup quarterback for the Miami Dolphins has since returned to the NFL where he is now preparing for his second stint with the Detroit Lions.
DeSantis also signed House Bill 538 on Friday, which focuses on increasing coaches’ salaries and implementing new policies to address student-athlete transferring in the state moving forward.
The bill limits the ability of student-athletes to transfer in season barring an extraordinary circumstance.
It also allows extracurricular funding flexibility for Florida coaches, allowing booster club funds for extra pay for coaches, although it would prohibit using those funds for severance pay of any kind.
The new House bill requires “home school” student-athletes to play at a high school within the borders of the county in which they live when transferring for athletics.
The new rules are set to take effect on July 1.
