Before Teddy Bridgewater was taking snaps on “Sunday Night Football” for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season, he was coaching Miami Northwestern Senior High’s football program. And despite departing under controversial circumstances, Bridgewater is still supporting his former team.
The 33-year-old attended Miami Northwestern’s state semifinal game against Bishop Moore of Orlando and watched the Bulls roll to a 52-21 win and clinch their second straight trip to the Class 3A Florida championship. After the game, nearly the entire team rallied to the stands to celebrate with Bridgewater, who flashed a huge smile the entire time.
Bucs QB & former Miami-Northwestern HC Teddy Bridgewater shows love to his players after their 52-21 Final Four victory over Bishop Moore!
They’ll take on Raines in the 3A Florida championship 🔥 (📸: @305Sportss) pic.twitter.com/uNj6R5gubC
— Jaret Rojas (@RojasTalksTampa) December 6, 2025
Last year, Bridgewater coached the team to a 3A state title. Miami Northwestern finished 4-6 the year before Bridgewater took over. In 2024, they started 2-2, then won their last 10 games including the championship. The NFL veteran grew up in the Liberty City neighborhood near the school and was a star quarterback at Miami Northwestern.
“It’s a special place,” Bridgewater told The Athletic in January. “I sit on the porch with my uncles and cousins and we laugh at the same old stories. It’s a place I could always go and have a good time even if you were kicked out of the house or were late on rent and got evicted.”
Bridgewater paid out-of-pocket to provide amenities such as a cold tub, sauna and massages. He brought in barbers and a chef who cooked healthy pregame meals for the team. He began the season with a traditional NFL-style training camp, having the kids stay at the school for five nights. They slept in sleeping bags on the gym floor while he slept on a small cot. He paid for three square meals and a snack daily for more than 70 players (at a cost of $3,500 per day).
But in July, the school suspended him amid an investigation by the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) into alleged impermissible benefits provided by Bridgewater. The week before he was suspended, Bridgewater asked Northwestern fans on Facebook for donations for player expenses, including pregame meals and Uber fares.
In a Facebook post after the suspension, Bridgewater disagreed with the school’s decision but said, “(If) it comes down to it, I will volunteer from the bleachers like I used to in 2018 and 2019 when no one had a problem.”
He re-joined the NFL after the suspension was levied, signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In August, Bridgewater addressed the suspension, saying he was a “protector” and that he was trying to provide players with a ride home in a “tough neighborhood.” But he remained upbeat about his former high school team’s chances for the coming season.
“I think now that I’m back in the league, it’s actually going to be extra motivation for them as well because they’ll get to play a game on Friday night and probably get to drive across the state and come watch the Bucs play and see Coach on the sideline,” Bridgewater said in August.
Now, he’ll get a chance to return the favor and watch his former high school try to win a second straight state title, albeit from the stands. Miami Northwestern faces Raines of Jacksonville on Friday in a rematch of the 2024 championship.
