Florida Senate passes 'Teddy Bridgewater Bill' allowing coaches to use personal funds for student welfare

2 weeks ago 24

NEWYou tin present perceive to Fox News articles!

Teddy Bridgewater has go thing of a martyr successful Florida.

While coaching astatine Miami Northwestern High School, the erstwhile NFL backmost admitted to providing players with fiscal benefits, including Uber rides, repast costs and carnal therapy for the team.

His actions led to his suspension past summer, but they are person to being ineligible aft a measure was signed successful the state.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Miami Northwestern's Teddy Bridgewater raises the authorities trophy pursuing the team's triumph implicit Raines successful the Class 3A title connected Dec. 14, 2024. (Chet Peterman/ Special to The Post/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Florida lawmakers connected Thursday passed Senate Bill 178, the "Teddy Bridgewater Bill," which requires "the Florida High School Athletic Association to follow bylaws authorizing a caput manager to enactment the payment of a pupil by utilizing idiosyncratic funds to supply definite effects to the student."

The measure says the manager indispensable study the usage of funds to the association, "providing that specified usage of idiosyncratic funds is presumed not to beryllium an impermissible benefit, etc."

The measure volition present spell to Florida's House of Representatives.

Speaking to the media past August aft signing a one-year woody with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bridgewater explained his thought process down the events that led to his suspension.

Detroit Lions backmost Teddy Bridgewater (17) connected the sidelines successful the 4th fourth astatine Bank of America Stadium connected Aug. 25, 2023. (Bob Donnan/ USA TODAY Sports)

BRETT FAVRE BLASTS NFL FOR NO LONGER APPEALING TO 'TRUE' FANS: 'THERE'S BEEN A SLIGHT SHIFT'

"Honestly, I deliberation everyone knows that I'm conscionable a cheerful guy, a cheerful giver arsenic well. I'm a protector. I'm a begetter archetypal earlier anything," helium began. "When I decided to coach, those players became my sons and I wanted to marque definite that I conscionable support them successful the champion mode that I can. I deliberation that's what came about."

He reached retired connected societal media asking for donations "so I nary longer person to instrumentality from my idiosyncratic funds to support smiles connected these young men's faces and punctual them that they matter."

"Miami Northwestern is successful a pugnacious neighborhood, and sometimes things tin hap erstwhile kids are walking location and antithetic things similar that," Bridgewater said astatine the time. "So, I conscionable tried to support them, springiness them a thrust location alternatively of them having to instrumentality those unsafe walks. I conscionable privation radical to proceed to spot maine for the idiosyncratic that I've been from the clip I arrived successful the NFL, from the clip that I arrived astatine the University of Louisville – conscionable a humble feline who has a large bosom and a cheerful giver."