The Florida Legislature has passed a bill that will allow high school head coaches to use personal funds to support their players with things like food, transportation, physical therapy and rehabilitation services.
On Wednesday, the Senate voted 35-0 on an amended version that was unanimously accepted by the House earlier in the week.
The “Teddy Bridgewater Act” now heads to the governor for signing.
Under the bill, head coaches would be able to spend up to $15,000 on their players a year, with only one purchase per student athlete.
Also, the Florida High School Athletic Association must adopt bylaws to allow the coaches to support the players, require coaches to report the spending and specify that the money can't be used for recruiting.
The House voted 112-0 to pass the measure after amending a Senate version to require parental approval and to limit the assistance to only by the head coach.
The bill (SB 178) was named after Bridgwater, who played with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season after he was suspended from his coaching position at Miami Northwestern High because he paid for meals and rides for his players.
This week, Bridgewater, a Miami native, agreed to a contract with the Detroit Lions for 2026.
