Florida signs 'Teddy Bridgewater Act,' lets coaches aid players - ESPN

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the «Teddy Bridgewater Act» into law Friday, meaning high school coaches in the state will now be able to use their own money to help their players with expenses such as food, transportation, physical therapy and rehabilitation services.

The Bridgewater Act is named for the Florida native and longtime NFL quarterback who coached his alma mater, Miami Northwestern High, to a state championship in 2024. But he was suspended for the 2025 season after revealing that he personally paid for meals, ride-share services and treatments for some players.

«He got into this situation where he was paying for meals and rides for some of his players who were underprivileged and he was using his personal funds to do this,» DeSantis said at a news conference before signing the bill, which made its way through committees and the Florida House and Senate, with every vote unanimous in support. «These were people that he was mentoring and that somehow got him suspended because of the way the rules were written.»

There will be strict rules regarding how — and how much — coaches can spend. It would apply to a team's head coach only, cannot be used in recruiting, must be reported in full to a state agency and is capped at $15,000 per team per year.

Bridgewater, in a social media post that led to his suspension last year, told supporters of the powerhouse high school program that he spent up to $6,000 some weeks for meals, rides and other services for the team, including making sure the field is lined properly — in addition to $23,500 for the team's training camp costs and apparel.

«Look, there's some possible downsides if you don't have a structure like we have,» DeSantis said. «But I also