New Orleans Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is grateful to be where he is today, standing on his own two feet. His career could have ended on the Minnesota Vikings practice field, when he suffered a non-contact knee injury so severe that it nearly required amputation. While he did bounce back from it, that injury set his career back by years, and it’s made him introspective.
Bridgewater recently published an open letter to young athletes over his official social media accounts, initially writing it on Facebook before sharing it through Twitter and Instagram. In his message to those who look up to him (such as the children in his old Miami neighborhood), Bridgewater mused about the challenges he experienced and shares with them having grown up in an underprivileged community.
“To the young boy who woke up this morning and hand to prepare yourself for the harsh realities of this world on your own because your mama job schedule is hectic,” Bridgewater began, listing the difficulties he and others like him have faced growing up in single-parent, low-income households. He also identified personal struggles like speech impediments and lauded the sense of accomplishment he felt during football practice as a youngster. Read it for yourself:
It’s easy to see why Bridgewater has become such a popular figure within the Saints locker room, and why he’s so highly-regarded around the NFL. The list of players easier to root for in this league is very brief, with few having risen from such humble backgrounds and overcome such adversity. It’ll be fascinating to see where Bridgewater goes next in his career, but he’ll always be welcome in New Orleans.
