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This the FHSAA definition for the issue at hand: An “impermissible benefit” is any arrangement, assistance or benefit that is not offered or generally made available to all students and/or their families who apply to or attend a school, or that otherwise is prohibited by FHSAA rules. Receipt of a benefit by a student-athlete or his/her family is not a violation of FHSAA rules if it is demonstrated that the same benefit is generally available to the school’s students or family members and is not based in any way on athletic interest, potential or performance. A student who is found to have accepted an impermissible benefit will be ineligible for interscholastic athletic competition for one or more years at the school to which the student accepted the impermissible benefit and may be declared ineligible for interscholastic athletic competition at all member schools for one or more years. Specific examples are listed here: https://fhsaa.com/documents/2020/4/14//Policy_37_2_2.pdf?id=71 There is no mention of the impact of blood relations, nor am I familiar with the NCAA regulations during Marcus Vick's career from 2002-2005. But these are the regulations that apply in this case.

I was just looking at the state of GA HC top 100 salaries list and it is crazy how much more they get paid than a Florida coach. Even the 100th ranked coach on the list makes $100k+. How the heck can other states pay coaches well while this dumb ass state, with the best talent pool in the nation, can't even pay a coach minimum wage for all the time they put in? https://www.si.com/high-school/georgia/georgia-high-school-football-top-100-head-coaching-salaries-01jwgttnkwbz

because they are cheating. They should suspend the entire program and not allow them in the playoffs for two years. It's one thing to give a kid a ride home from practice that lives in your zone and its another to be paying for rides for kids that don't live in your zone and wouldn't be coming to your school if you were not paying for them to get there. This was the pattern and not just a random occurrence. The physical therapy and paying for personal training is also enticement. There is a reason they got 60 recruits errrr transfers over the last two years. The school suspended him because the fhsaa is about to hammer them. Bridgewater will get a minimum 6 games suspension and a $5k fine from the fhsaa. The next time he will be suspended from ever coaching in Florida. The school is facing harsh penalties and they are trying to avoid them. The other stuff pride packs, team meals, field paint, camps could have been paid for by the school. He could have just donated the money to the school and paid for it. I'm not sure how to feel in this case. I'm sure Teddy loves Northwestern and loves those kids but he was either oblivious to the rules or didn't care to follow them.

Made a second pass through Maxpreps for all 576 (11-man teams). Yes, it takes a while. Here's what I've come up with through this morning: 265 Schedules are complete (assumes 10 game regular season beginning either Week 0 for SSAA or Week 1 for everyone else, unless out of state opponent. 311 Schedules have problems. Here's the breakdown: 218 schedules reflect less than 10 games 88 schedules are impacted by conflicts. ie. Team having more than one opponent on the same day- or- scheduled opponent has more than one opponent on that day. 5 teams have 11 games scheduled. Seems like there's a lot of information to be gathered and rectified over the next few weeks.

Wow and that’s the website the FHSAA uses for its rankings? What a crap show. Good luck finding the real schedules. The FHSAA doesn’t do anything to help. Georgia puts their on their website for all to see. A simple link that has every team and every schedule. One stop shop. The SSAA isn’t any better. I was trying to update scores from last year and they don’t even have the results from last year. Maxpreps and Scorestream aren’t even reliable either. Crazy that in 2024-25, you can find reputable sites for simple information like high school football schedules and scores

What remains to be seen are the short and long-term ramifications. It goes without saying that at the very least there might be some kind of sanction(s) levied against the coach and players. I hope this doesn't completely implode the program.

this x1 million. he could have just donated his cash to the school, even as a volunteer head coach, and the school could have purchased all of it, to no issue. the uber rides is literally the main issue( at least I think). uber picks up a kid 30 miles away, 3 miles away, 1 mile away and he is technically zoned for another school.....thats a problem. as far as tfa and what they did, it was this part, the uber rides, but the non school employee that rhymes with soffit, not only did he pay for the ubers, but they got those same kids on the field in spring and summer and they were not enrolled at the school.....yet....and he ubered them there for that too! all over orlando sports pages, teddy broke the rules, he is a school employee, even tho he says hes not. hes the head football coach, wether paid or not, he had to do background checks and etc....making him and employee of the school district. he broke the rules, which Im sure every coach in this poorly funded state has done same or similar, he went public with it. asking for donations, fine, dont spill the tea on what you been doing!

TFA was doing way more than just a few slap on the wrist actions. They are recruiting around the state and haven't stopped. MNW probably has an outcry because a coach did it out of the kindness of his heart and love for the kids. Hard to look at that in the same way as TFA which is all business and gives zeros shits about their kids. To be fair, TFA kids give zero shits about their school as it is a mutual business decision. However, rules are rules and Teddy broke the rules so consequences are due no matter the intent.

If Bridgewater does get 'taken down,' I'd like to see him take a whole bunch of other guys down with him. No reason why he should be the singular sacrificial lamb.

I think the argument is this: if 'free adults are allowed to give gifts to poor kids who happen to be good at sports,' we move from an amateur environment into a professional environment. Historically, high school sports, college sports and even the Olympics were reserved solely for amateur athletes. Within the last couple of decades, the barriers for professionals started to erode for the Olympics. You may recall that Jim Thorpe won gold medals in track in the 1912 Olympics, but was stripped of those medals because he had played minor league (or "semipro") baseball prior to participating in the Olympics. Ultimately, those medals were restored a few years ago. The USA Olympic basketball team used to be comprised only of college players. Now, it's all pros (with one or two college stars). Within the last 5-10 years, NIL changes have permitted college athletes to receive compensation. Before then, the rules in place for decades allowed college student-athletes to receive room, board and tuition. The $100 post-game handshakes from alums in the locker room and brown paper bags filled with money - although they happened everywhere - were illegal (and arguably still are; they just don't happen as much because the athletes can receive money legally through NIL). The NIL world is quickly filtering down to the high school level. However, the rules in most all states, and certainly in Florida, are rooted in the concept that only amateur athletes can compete in high school sports. And if you allow athletes to receive gifts, or otherwise compensate them or their families, such athletes are no longer considered amateurs. Simply put, the rules has always been that if you get compensated to do play a sport, you are considered a professional. And professionals cannot participate in amateur sports. Again, the rules in place (FHSAA Rules) are rooted in a clear distinction between amateur sports and professional sports. There was a clear line that is slowly becoming more and more blurred. If you want the argument as to why the rule makes sense, I think it is this: there is a certain beauty in amateur sports, knowing that everyone who is playing is playing for the love of the game and not for money. Everything changes once you start compensating athletes. As I have stated before, the concept of compensation is a slippery slope. What do you allow and what don't you? FHSAA rules prohibiting impermissible benefits were written before Uber even existed. But the rule is pretty clear: if you give something to football players that you don't give to all other students, that's an impermissible benefit - especially if the benefit is given to entice a kid to come to your school. If you allow schools/coaches/alums to compensate kids to play sports, then you take away the somewhat-level playing field. And, over time, certain schools will dominate high school sports because they will have the financial wherewithal to attract the most talented athletes. While this might be good for the handful of select, talented athletes, everyone else suffers. I guess the real question is whether we just want to eliminate the distinction between amateur athletics and professional athletics altogether and simply allow the free-market system to play out for all athletes and all schools? If you're inclined to answer this question with a "yes," I have only six words for you: be careful what you wish for.

Some kids NEED to transfer to get in the best position to change the trajectory of their entire life. Could literally save their life. Difference between going to college and being stuck in your neighborhood getting lost to streets. And I can only speak for myself, but I’m more interested in a at-risk kid changing his situation for the better in hopes of saving his life than your favorite high school team losing a game because he transferred from your favorite school.

I know we already have a thread about “Must See” classic games, but can we compile a list of all the preseason games? They should not appear on MaxPreps (although a few do list them there). I know a few in SW Florida Aubrey Rogers @ Cape Coral Barron Collier @ Cooper City Riverdale @ Dunbar Gulf Coast @ Naples Immokalee @ South Ft. Myers Oasis @ Palmetto Ridge Sarasota Riverview @ Port Charlotte

Sarasota Riverview @ Port Charlotte Riverview gonna get boat raced

NFHS has a start time of 3:00pm for the Carol City/Lincoln game on Saturday August 16

Here is the full film: Year of the Bull

MarkECannon, If the FHSAA pays me, I'll do it. And I'll do it right. Nolebull813, Your list of new teams looks good but I'm not too sure about Victory Christian (Kissimmee). They fielded a team awhile back for a year or two. I have a feeling it may be a "sausage fingered" entry on a couple teams schedules, and they entered the Kissimmee school instead of Victory Christian (Lakeland). Just a guess. Also, Graceland is starting up again this year after a brief hiatus.

I remember back in 1907 when Lakeland got hosed by Bartow. Score was 53-0 but it was closer to all of us in attendance that day. The forward pass was invented in 1906 and Lakeland was trying it for the first time. I think the refs thought they were cheating. Anyways. Top win in Bartow history

If you need a backup option On October 3, Coral Shores plays against Marathon in the “battle of the Keys”!!! Monroe County longest rivalry. https://keysweekly.com/42/sports-wrap-marathon-vs-coral-shores-historic-rivalry/

It's on our "to do" list, maybe next year if not this year. We love going to KW. We made it from The Fort in 5.5 hours last time, and that was stopping for a long lunch on Islamorada. Their stadium looks nice. I think we'll make a long weekend of it, maybe finding a Thursday game in the Miami area, then leaving on Friday morning and coming back on Monday. We've seen the Conchs play a couple of times, once at PSL West Centennial and once at Southfork. Going in September or early October, the traffic shouldn't be too bad. It won't be a high level of football, but the right opponent might give you a competitive game in a unique setting.

So, our first week of games is looking like.... Thursday - Chaminade v West Boca Friday - Norland v Vero Saturday - Carol City v Lincoln Saturday - NW v Lakeland What a wonderful world we live in...

Pace and Pensacola Catholic are the 2 top teams in the area. Also Niceville and Choctaw if you want to expand it a little. Those 4 would be the teams to rep the far West of the panhandle

No argument there. I like seeing the variety at the Vero Beach event. I’m sure I’ll see the Chaminade and West Boca Raton each play this year. Probably multiple times.

I'm thinking this might be too far of a trip for that Lakeland guy who wears a boat on his head.

I’m hearing , it’s Lakeland vs Miami northwestern, Vero Vs Miami norland , and carol city vs Lincoln Tallahassee

Although not much is known yet, apparently it’s the marquee game of the “Treasure Coast Kickoff Classic”- an event being put on by the Treasure Coast Sports Commission. Nothing else has been announced but I would expect Vero to play Friday night August 15, but as they have not made any schedule announcements yet this year, so their opponent is TBD. This is the first time Vero has ever hosted an event like this, as they’ve always played a traditional KOC game that week.

With all the off-season discussion, don't forget the FHSAA regular season kicks off in 5 weeks. Last year, 460 teams competed in the 8 FHSAA championship classifications. This year, 458 teams are competing in the FHSAA. Not exactly the mass exodus that some were hoping for or predicting, but maybe it is coming down the road. Or not. In case you forgot your team's district or region foes, here are the 2025-26 FHSAA classifications: https://fhsaa.com/sports/2020/1/28/FB_classifications.aspx Information on the SSAA football season can be found here: https://www.sunshinestateathletics.com/page/show/5114520-football

Mega game. Rematch of the 2009 game where Lakeland won on a 2 point stop. Hope they have the horses to pull out another win this time

I suddenly wish Bridgewater had known he was breaking the rules and kept it on the DL. He obviously cares a lot about that program and those kids. Hate to see a guy who cares like that get taken down while the true cheaters are out there doing their thing.

Yes, the free market should be allowed to draw the lines between amateurism and professionalism. The beauty of playing strictly for the love of the game will certainly be allowed to persist. And, kids and adults alike play A LOT of games for fun as it is. See adult rec leagues, intramurals etc. This includes those who've been able to become wealthy through playing the sport as well! I think that, eventually, people like most all of us are going to recognize that it is preposterous to have teenagers getting paid to play high school sports, and/or get a free college education along with the extra compensation. Most of us have been fans of the game and of the school, not the "star" athletes. In the long run, I don't think there will be much of a market for paid teenager athletes. But, if someone is willing to part with their $ to allow a kid to be less poor, and that means that School A easily crushes the competition, I don't think that's a bad thing. It IS a thing that will cause a great many people to lose interest. And that will in turn diminish the market, which will of course mean kids aren't making any money anyway. At issue, as I keep harping on, is the fact that the "big time" sports world where NIL money is available is an entirely different, beast of an animal that K-12 schools and even universities are not equipped to manage. Nor should they be. Big time, for profit sports should be separated from schools. The mission of the two entities is competely misaligned.

Yes of course big shot, how dare anyone try to help some young man out with a generous offer from his own pocket! Did the new pinstripe suits arrive yet from Brooks Brothers, F. Lee Bailey, Clarence Darrow Jr?!

Yes it's true and the alumni president stepped down. From what I read the alumni president went downtown or wherever and said something. I don't know if Teddy rubbed someone the wrong way but this is what I read. But see here's the thing about this situation. Northwestern has a strong alumni and community support. Half if not all the politicians in politics graduated from Northwestern and local pastors. If this was such a big issue something should have been said way before now and I think because Teddy asked for donations this all came about. Teddy has the money to take care of these things but why should he go broke doing it.

You are finally starting to make some sense, have they changed the black and orange water over at Bryant Stadium?

Nolebull is ordering his "Free Teddy B" shirt right now

If it’s for something reasonable like a Gatorade and water donation & they reach out to the community of course I will help. it’s all within reason tho. 14,000 for a 3 day gym stay is unreasonable. 2,000 a week for food. Me & a few alumni would just get together and cook.

Nolebull, You are making a good argument for what the rule ought to be or why the rule ought to be changed. I'm telling you what the rule is. Interestingly, I witnessed first hand the FHSAA deal with a case that was very similar to the (presumably, hypothetical) one you just described. A family provided a kid with a bed for the night because that kid had an unfortunate family situation that would have left him homeless for the night had a teammate's family not stepped up and given him a place to stay for the night. Yep, you got it, impermissible benefit. Coach and school penalized. The difficulty is coming up with rules that can't be taken advantage of. Where do you draw the line? If paying for an Uber is OK, why can't you just buy the kid a car instead? More convenient for all parties. If you can buy a kid a meal, why can't you take his family grocery shopping and let them stock up? Or, better yet, just give then a gift card and let them spend the money as they please. What do you do when one school offers up a $1,000 gift card, but another school is willing to give the kid a $2,000 gift card? Do we really want to turn high school sports into professional sports?

Wait are you saying there is a rule that bars an adult mentor who coaches young men a sport from helping a struggling student athlete and his family with transportation? Whoa that’s next level crazy. “Hey coach I’m on the side of the road and almost got hit. I’m miles from school and it’s 110 degrees out. Can you get me a ride?” ”Sorry. Some turds 6 hours away in Gainesville said I can’t. Hope you don’t get hit or pass out.”

We lost some studs on defense, so that will be a wait and see. Shawn Simeon graduated, the #2 runner in the state, but we have a few young bucks that are willing to step up. This transfer portal is nuts, we have almost 60 kids in Collier that have changed schools. We lost 4, 2 of them would have been starters. Lely picked up a bunch and now arguable have the best QB (Brady Quinn) and RB {Nino Joseph) in the area. There offense was great last year and is only better now. If they can solidy that porous defense, they will be tough to beat. It took a Herculean effort to beat Port Charlotte last year and they look loaded again this year. I am hoping we can go 7-3. Getting back to the regional finals wil be a tall order.

MLB Taurean Charles didn't last long as a Gator. At 6'3" 245lbs he dominated a pretty good defense his Jr and Sr years at Bethune-Cookman College in the 2005 and 2006 seasons. His fight with the coach ending with him on top only certified "physically" he was already a man among boys. It's a shame he never reached his full potential.

Mane!! I dam near cried driving by the stadium today, talk about massive overhaul. These home games this upcoming season is about to be INSANE! , and don’t let us host some playoff games. Man oh man. the blue end zones is gonna be LIT, even tho they are still working on the kinks and haven’t put the Words on each end zone yet. Plus the new score board still have to be put up. it’s still surprising as hell how fast their moving. Just 4 weeks ago I rode by and the field was nothing but dirt lol.

Haha. Second-best win in Bartow history. I was present for the top win in their history, on a cold afternoon in Daytona Beach in 1996

I think they are small schools. Marathon - about 700 (grades 6-12) Coral Shores - under 800 Key West - about 1,300

Wow! A clean sweep for Dade County. Can’t argue with any of those picks. Did not know that C vs WBR was on Thursday. What do any of you think of this matchup? Don’t be surprised if this nutcase, me, goes to all of them.

Not so fast my friend. Niceville for the longest was the go to place for players. Kids weren’t going to Choctaw and they dang sure weren’t going to FWB. Don’t let the good ole boy mantra fool you. North FL has had some “magnet schools”. The talent just isn’t as good as the South. It’s not for the lack of trying.

Vero should be very solid this year, the offense has more experience this season as they started several true freshman last year, the defense lost some talent so that will be the question mark heading into the offseason. I see them being as good as the team that lost in the 3rd round, probably a little better to be honest. The hopes are high considering the talent that is coming back, and has already transferred in, do they have state championship level talent? No, but hopes are high. I do not see them starting 0-3 like least season though. Vero QB Champ Monds went into those games last year as a true freshman who had never played a game at the high school level, now has a year under his belt, and holds 20+ offers as a rising sophomore. He has the potential to be one of the top QB’s in the country by the time he’s a senior, the question for Vero is can they keep him here. IMG has made a run at a lot of the higher profile talent in the treasure coast area the last several years.

V-Ro isn't a bad drive from Boca, and they have a nice stadium with plenty of parking. We'll certainly be taking these games in. It's only about 35 minutes north of us.

Wow! If true I would like to see if there would be a better kickoff classic in the state of Florida. I think a jamboree type setup would be a good way to go. Vero Beach, Lakeland and Lincoln by luck of the draw play the Miami teams a half at a time. Each team would only play 2 half’s.

Only the top bracket is the State Championship bracket of each classification (11-man, 8-man, and Atlantic League). The other brackets allow teams and student athletes to compete against teams having the same type of season (good or bad). They aren't winning a state championship, but getting an opportunity to compete in a bracket against like-minded schools that are equal to them for that season. The model works.

So, is this going to be a situation where Dillard will have a fantastic regular season, going 10-0 or 9-1, and then falter in the playoffs because they didn't play anyone challenging in the regular season?

Miami Northwestern vs. Lakeland in Orlando.

August 15 - Cocoa vs Bradford at Cocoa. That might be a good one.