Teddy Bridgewater returned to the NFL again this week when he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the veteran quarterback spoke with reporters on Wednesday about the path that led him there.
Bridgewater was suspended last month from his position as the head football coach at Miami Northwestern Senior High School in Miami, Fla., which is his alma mater. The disciplinary action came amid an investigation into him providing improper benefits to players.
The investigation seemed to stem from a social media post in which Bridgewater indicated he covered expenses for players that included $2,200 a week for pregame meals and $700 for Uber rides.
While speaking with reporters at training camp on Wednesday, Bridgewater was asked about the situation at Miami Northwestern. He expressed no remorse and said he treated the players as if he were their father.
“I’m protective. I’m a father first, before anything. When I decided to coach, those players became my sons,” Bridgewater said. “I wanted to make sure that I just protected them in the best way that I can. I think that’s what came about. … Sometimes things can happen when kids are walking home and different things like that, so I just tried to protect them and get them a ride home instead of them having to take those dangerous walks.”
Here’s Teddy Bridgewater on what happened at Miami Northwestern, where he was suspended for giving impermissible benefits to his players that included Uber rides and food for them.
— River Wells (@riverhwells) August 6, 2025
“I’m a father first, before anything… when I became a coach, these players became my sons.” pic.twitter.com/CJJTsmAzoz
Bridgewater was hired as the head coach at Miami Northwestern after he spent a season as a backup with the Detroit Lions in 2023. He then rejoined the Lions prior to the playoffs last season and initially said his plan was to continue to coach his alma mater. The suspension was likely the driving force behind Bridgewater deciding to return to the NFL again.
Bridgewater was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round out of Louisville in 2014. He started right away and made the Pro Bowl in his second season in 2015. Bridgewater then suffered a devastating knee injury during practice ahead of the 2016 season. He missed nearly two full seasons and was never the same after that.
After spending his first four seasons with the Vikings, Bridgewater had brief stints with the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins and Lions. The last significant role he played for a team was when he started 14 games for Denver in 2021.
