Teddy Bridgewater is finally speaking out after being suspended from coaching at his high school alma mater, Miami Northwestern — and he’s making it clear: this was about protecting his kids.

“I’m protective, and I’m a father first before anything,” the new Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback said at training camp Wednesday. “Those players became my sons.”

Bridgewater’s suspension came after the school deemed some of his actions “impermissible benefits.” But according to him, it was all about giving his players the resources they deserved. In a Facebook post, he broke down just how much he poured into them: $14,000 for a camp with three hot meals a day from local Black-owned restaurants, $9,500 for matching team gear, $300 a week to keep the field painted, $1,300 a week for recovery trucks, $2,200 for weekly pregame meals, and $700 a week to get players rides to and from games.

He was suspended just a week after making that post.

And this isn’t the first time Bridgewater has invested in his community. He’s paid registration fees for every football and cheer kid at Bunche Park, where he grew up playing. In fact, in 2023, Miami Gardens named the football field there “Teddy Bridgewater Field” in his honor.

Even with the suspension, Teddy says he’s not going to stop helping. He calls himself the “neighborhood hope dealer” and hopes that his new chapter with the Buccaneers will inspire the next generation.