Veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is set to make his first start for the Miami Dolphins on Sunday against the New York Jets, and he recently offered a heartwarming message about that.
“It’s a huge blessing to be able to just suit up in my hometown,” Bridgewater said. “I played little league football five minutes down the road at Bunche Park. So if I leave work tomorrow and go to the park, all of the little kids will come running up to me excited. If I go to the Northwestern game on Friday night, everybody will be excited. It’s such a relief, honestly, knowing that the love is genuine no matter where I go. I really appreciate that from my community and my people. I know they’re excited that I get this opportunity. I’m looking forward to it.”
Of course, Bridgewater first made a name for himself at Miami Northwestern Senior High School, where he passed for 5,277 yards and 55 touchdowns, according to MaxPreps.
He then elected to go to the University of Louisville before getting selected in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings.
The 29-year-old has bounced around the league quite a bit, but he is definitely really happy to finally be playing for his hometown team.
He was even seen drawing up play for his alma mater’s football team late last month. Maybe Bridgewater has a future in coaching once his playing days are over.
Teddy Bridgewater is drawing up plays for Miami Northwestern late in the second half. 🐐 pic.twitter.com/uTJYgRui7v
— 305 Sports (@305Sportss) September 23, 2022
Over the summer, Bridgewater issued a strong message that advised kids to not be fooled by NFL players that have a “tough guy image.” The post went viral and even got some support from athletes like LeBron James.
🫡 T. Bridgewater! All FACTS 💯 pic.twitter.com/8KG9GykieE
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 20, 2022
Bridgewater wanting to be a positive influence in his community played a big part in him offering that message.
“It’s really something that I always talked about when I was playing for different teams out of town,” he said. “Just allowing for people to see me in the flesh. There are so many kids in the Bunche Park area, the Liberty City area, who want to be Teddy Bridgewater and look up to Teddy Bridgewater, but they can only see me on the television. So when they can see me in the flesh on the sideline, high school kids can touch me and interact and realize that I’m human just like them. That’s food for my soul.”
The one-time Pro Bowler is definitely a legend in South Florida, and it’s great to hear that he’s happy to be home playing for the Dolphins.
Hopefully, he’ll be able to lead the team to a victory on Sunday and keep it atop the AFC while Tua Tagovailoa recovers from the scary injury he suffered in Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Bridgewater threw for 193 yards, one touchdown and one interception in relief of Tagovailoa against the Bengals.
After facing the Jets, Miami will host the Vikings in Week 6 and Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 7.
