Florida Governor Passes The 'Teddy Bridgewater Act'

Teddy Bridgewater. Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Florida Governor Passes The 'Teddy Bridgewater Act'

Originally posted on Total Pro Sports | By Orlando Silva | Last updated May 23, 2026 4:58 PM ET

A couple of years after he led his alma mater, Miami Northwestern High, to a state championship, Teddy Bridgewater secured another big win that will help other coaches and players.

The Detroit Lions quarterback revealed that he personally paid for meals, ride-share services and treatments for some players during his coaching tenure. The revelation led to a suspension for the 2026 season. The situation sparked debate among football fans and forced Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to get involved.

DeSantis signed the “Teddy Bridgewater Act” on Friday, allowing high school coaches to use their own money to assist players.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the “Teddy Bridgewater Act” into law on Friday, per @AP, 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… pic.twitter.com/pDlPIgwl8N
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 23, 2026

Ron DeSantis Praises Teddy Bridgewater After Major Decision

Teddy Bridgewater. (Photo via Instagram)

The governor had nothing but good things to say about Bridgewater while criticizing the rules that suspended the quarterback for doing the right thing.

“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. “These were people that he was mentoring and that somehow got him suspended because of the way the rules were written.”

The act made its way through committees and then the Florida House and Senate. It passed without any objection. Bridgewater returned to the NFL after the suspension. He returned to the Lions ahead of the 2026 season after playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2025.

This article first appeared on Total Pro Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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