Opinion: Florida's 'Teddy Bridgewater Act' still only a half-measure
Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed the 'Teddy Bridgewater Act' into law, but it's only a half-measure addressing the problem in high school sports.
Let's start with the good news. On Friday, Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 178, the "Teddy Bridgewater Act," into law . It will allow high school coaches to spend up to $15,000 of their own money into covering expenses for student-athletes' food, transportation, and physical therapy and injury rehabilitation.
The former New Orleans Saints quarterback was suspended after doing just that for his players at Miami Northwestern High School. Now it's legal. But now the bad news.
While it's a good gesture for the Florida government to give the all-clear on this issue, this new law is only a half-measure addressing the problem in high school sports. Bridgewater was stepping up to cover gaps in the system. He was feeding hungry students and calling them Ubers to get home safely from practice.
Those are services the government can and should be providing. You could argue it isn't even a half-measure. Bridgewater was able to cover those expenses because of his earnings from a lucrative NFL career.