MIAMI (WSVN) – A South Florida school community came together to push a school to reinstate its suspended head football coach.
7News cameras captured dozens of demonstrators chanting and holding up signs outside Miami Northwestern Senior High School, Thursday evening.
“Reinstate!” chanted one demonstrator.
“Teddy!” chanted other demonstrators.
They were calling for the reinstatement of the school’s head football coach, Teddy Bridgewater.
“We’re here to make sure the rules are changed, because what Teddy did , it was the right thing,” said alumnus Nathan Nadal. “We all break rules for the greater good.”
Bridgewater, a former Miami Dolphins quarterback, was suspended from his position by his alma mater, accused of providing impermissible benefits to his players by paying for rideshares to and from practice.
Earlier this month, Bridgewater posted to Facebook asking for monetary donations for expenses he covered last season to help his players, including paying for meals and $700 a week for Uber fares.
According to Florida High School Athletic Association rules, coaches paying for a player’s transportation falls under the category of “impermissible benefits.”
Miami-Dade County Public Schools issued a statement that reads in part:
“The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) has clear guidelines regarding impermissible benefits, and we are committed to upholding those standards across all our athletic programs. The District is cooperating fully with the FHSAA to ensure all policies and procedures are being followed.”
While FHSAA officials said they haven’t taken any action on the matter, their statement reads:
“We recently sent an allegation to the school and are gathering more information. The suspension came from Miami Northwestern, thus we do not have any violations to report at this time.”
During a Miami Dade School Board meeting on Wednesday, several students and players came to Bridgewater’s defense.
“He never judged us; he showed us love and respect and leadership,” said student athlete Ricard Lewis. “He came from the same place we did, and instead of turning his back on his community, he came to lift it up.”
“Coach Teddy is one of the most selfless people I’ve ever met because he genuinely cares about developing every single one of us — not only as football players, but as young men,” said a student athlete who identified himself as Amir.
These students’ fight for their coach is far from over.
“The players want their leader back. That’s all they want,” said supporter Steven Rivera at Thursday’s rally.
Bridgewater led the team to a state championship in his first season as head coach in 2024.
It remains unclear for how long he’s suspended, but the team’s first game is just weeks away.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
