Column: Teddy Bridgewater—A Hero Returning or a Coach Overreaching?

Controversy and huge success have marked Teddy Bridgewater's one-plus years as head coach at Miami Northwestern, but is he changing things for the better or worse? We invite your opinion

Miami Northwestern's Teddy Bridgewater raises the state trophy following the team's win over Raines in the Class 3A championship on Dec. 14, 2024. / Chet Peterman / Special to The Post / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Teddy Bridgewater’s story was supposed to be a Hollywood script.

A Miami kid. A phenom. A quarterback who grew up under the Friday night lights of Miami Northwestern, elevating a storied program back to prominence. Then came the scholarship to Louisville, the thrilling Sugar Bowl win, and a first-round NFL Draft selection. Stints with the Vikings, Jets, Saints, Panthers, Broncos, Dolphins and Lions followed. Through it all, Bridgewater became a symbol of perseverance, class, and quiet leadership.

So when he came home to coach his alma mater—really came home—it felt right. Like the community had been waiting for him. Like he owed it to the program that made him. And just a year later, in 2023, he delivered the ultimate prize: a Florida high school football state championship.

But now, that script has taken a sharp turn. Miami Northwestern has suspended Bridgewater as the school's head football coach, pending the outcome of an investigation by the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) into impermissible benefits he allegedly provided to players. And ironically, the investigation was triggered by his own social media post, celebrating what many saw as generous gifts or enhancements for his team.

So We Ask You: Teddy Bridgewater — Wrong or Right?

Let’s be clear. The FHSAA has rules. They exist to keep the playing field level, to prevent the kind of arms race that high school sports is always teetering on the edge of. But Bridgewater’s intent wasn’t to gain an unfair advantage. It was to lift young men up. To give them—his players—the kinds of things he didn’t have in high school. Luxuries, maybe. But dignities too.

Should he have known better? Perhaps. But was it wrong?

Let’s not pretend this is Bridgewater’s first controversy since taking over at Northwestern. There have been whispers of sideline tensions, clashing with administrators, and his “pro-style” approach ruffling feathers within a system still rooted in the old ways. He’s not just coaching football; he’s trying to redefine the high school athlete experience in his image—an image molded by college weight rooms, NFL player lounges, and national media scrutiny.

He is, unapologetically, bringing the NFL to the inner city—with all the resources, expectations, and noise that comes with it.

Is it too much for high school football? Or is it exactly what it needs?

A Gray Area in Black-and-White Rules

The FHSAA doesn’t deal in nuance. Either a benefit is allowed, or it isn’t. But most fans do. And that’s what makes this case so difficult to untangle. Did Bridgewater break a rule? Maybe. But did he break trust with his community? Unlikely. If anything, he may have strengthened it. Just ask the players who feel seen. Ask the families who feel hope.

We live in a time where high school athletes are building brands, cashing NIL checks, and becoming household names before their first college snap. And here comes Teddy Bridgewater—not exploiting that trend, but trying to prepare his kids for it.

My Final Thought

There’s a difference between cheating and trying to provide a first rate experience for his players. Bridgewater, like it or not, is trying to do the latter. If rules were broken, there must be some punishment, but it should also lead to a discussion about the possibility of changing some of the rules. The punishment should also match the infraction and not be treated as something more severe.

But what do you think? Please vote in our poll and let us know where you stand.