Teddy Bridgewater comments on Northwestern suspension. Here’s what he said.
Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Teddy Bridgewater spoke publicly for the first time on Wednesday morning about the situation, which led to him leaving his role as football coach at his alma mater, Miami Northwestern.
Bridgewater spoke to reporters at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers training facility after his first practice with his new team, which signed him to a one-year deal on Tuesday.
Bridgewater was asked about the suspension by Northwestern for violating Florida High School Athletic Association rules regarding impermissible benefits for players.
Bridgewater was suspended in July for reportedly spending $700 per week for Uber rides for his players, as well $2,200 for pregame meals and over $1,300 for athletic-recovery services.
“I think everyone knows that I’m just a charitable guy and I’m a father first before anything. When I decided to coach, those players became my sons,” Bridgewater said to reporters after Wednesday’s practice. “And I just wanted to protect them in the best way I can. Miami Northwestern is in a tough neighborhood and sometimes things can happen when kids are walking home and things like that so I wanted to protect them so they could take a ride home instead of going on those dangerous walks.”
Bridgewater spoke about relating to the Northwestern players he coached as he was once like them, walking the same hallways at the school.
Bridgewater, 32, began coaching at his alma mater last season and helped them win their first state title since 2019 and ninth all-time.
Bridgewater was Northwestern’s starting quarterback in high school from 2008-2010, leading them to a state runner-up finish as a sophomore.
“I can’t change who I am,” Bridgewater said. “I know what it’s like to walk those halls at Miami Northwestern and to have your stomach growling and rumbling at 12:00 in the afternoon because you didn’t have any lunch money or you don’t get the free lunch.
“I just want people to continue to see me for the person I’ve been from the moment I arrived in the NFL, from the moment I arrived at the University of Louisville. I’m a humble guy with a big heart.”
Bridgewater would go on to have a successful college career at the University of Louisville, which led him to an ongoing NFL career that includes a Pro Bowl selection in 2015 while playing for the Minnesota Vikings.
Bridgewater eventually played for his hometown team and backed up Tua Tagovailoa in 2022, starting in two games and appearing in five overall for the Miami Dolphins.
Bridgewater is providing quarterback depth in camp for Tampa Bay and competing for a possible role this coming season as one of the backups to starter Baker Mayfield.
“Teddy B is a unique person. When Teddy B came he didn’t say too much, but you can gauge a lot about how he feels toward players by the game setting,” Tagovailoa said about Bridgewater on Wednesday. “When it’s game time, he’s a whole different person with the aura, the energy he brings to the guys on the field. He’s a lot more talkative than he is throughout the day. He is chill. But when it’s time to go for gametime, he turns it up.”
This story was originally published August 6, 2025 at 12:39 PM.
