Suspended for Compassion

Darryl Ben Yudah
Sep 1
4 min read

The Backwards Punishment of Former NFL QB Turned High School Football Coach Terry Bridgewater"

In the heart of Liberty City—an urban jungle in Miami-Dade County pulsating with raw talent, pain, and promise—stands Northeastern High, where the field of dreams had become a battlefield of controversy. The latest target? Terry Bridgewater, a former NFL quarterback turned high school head football coach, who was suspended for the audacity of caring too much.

Bridgewater, who grew up just blocks from the same cracked sidewalks his players now walk, didn’t just coach football—he mentored, fathered, fed, and clothed his players, many of whom face unimaginable daily struggles. Whether it was paying out of pocket for a student's cleats, helping a player find housing, or simply being the solid figure of consistency they desperately needed, Bridgewater was doing what any real man would do: stepping up where the system had failed.

And for that… he got suspended.

Suspended for providing "impermissible benefits" to players, including paying for their Uber rides and meals. He provided these benefits to assist players who needed help, citing safety concerns in their neighborhood, but the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) ruled that coaches cannot provide such assistance.

Liberty City, though rich in cultural legacy and the birthplace of musical powerhouses like Trick Daddy, Trina, Rick Ross, Denzel Curry, Pitbull, Kodak Black, City Girls, and the infamous 2 Live Crew, is also home to some of the nation’s deepest-rooted struggles—poverty, over-policing, redlining, and the latest demon: gentrification. It’s a place where systemic neglect is masked as urban revitalization and where crime is often just survival.

But in America—particularly in DeSantis' Florida—the narrative never changes: guess a black man doing good is seen as a threat. A Black man doing “too much” is penalized. And a Black man stepping beyond the limits set by a white-dominated structure who does not have concerns for the black youth? He becomes public athletic coach enemy number one. According to the Miami Northwestern Athletic Director, Andre Williams, the FHSAA prohibits coaches from providing transportation or purchasing items for students.

Which is insane because no coach wants to see any of their players lacking rather it's academics or personal issues because it can effect the player performance on the football field.

However governor Ron DeSantis has made headlines for his efforts to erase Black history from school curriculums, falsely claiming slavery “benefited” Black people, and insisting the United States is not a racist country. Yet, where is that same leadership when predominantly black school like Northeastern are begging for resources? You won’t find DeSantis nor the mayor of miami Francis Suarez anywhere near the gridiron when these young Black boys need help. But you suspend a black coach for showing compassion? Suddenly the system is swift and merciless.

This is the absurdity of American hypocrisy under the terror of criminal president Donald Trump. Terry Bridgewater, a man who treated his players like sons, is punished for embodying the values that educational and sports institutions love to pretend they uphold: integrity, leadership, and care.

If giving kids a fighting chance makes you a criminal, then what do we call those in power who sit idle while entire communities are left to rot?

In a world where racism is denied, history is rewritten, and compassion is punished, the suspension of Coach Bridgewater is more than just an administrative action—it’s a mirror reflecting just how broken and backward the system truly is. Even after dozens rallied outside Northwestern High to have Bridgewater reinstated. Nathan Nadal former alum who organized the protest said " He should be celebrated not suspended. “If you're a person with a heart, then you'll understand where Teddy was coming from" but we see athletic director Andre Williams has no good subconscious. Because Terry Bridgewater has not been reinstated.

Now every since he returned to be a quarterback in the NFL, after signing a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in August 2025 from a brief retirement where he coached his high school alma mater, Miami Northwestern High School leading them to a 3 A state championship in 2024. Now as of August the defending Class 3A state champion Miami Northwestern has played its first game beginning the new 2025 season without Teddy Bridgewater at the helm, facing off against Orange Lutheran and lost 17-13. But there is still hope because you can't keep a strong good black man like the honorable Coach Teddy Bridgewater from having a positive impact upon the youth. He still desire to become a coach after he retires from the NFL. We will be praying, cheering, rooting and speaking into existence that Teddy have a successful 2025-2026 quarterback season for the Tampa Buccs..