Teddy Bridgewater might be the best role model in professional sports. The former Vikings quarterback inspired millions in his comeback from a devastating knee injury in 2016, and he continues to inspire through words of encouragement for kids who might be going through a difficult time.
In a message posted to his private Facebook page that he shared on Twitter and Instagram, Bridgewater wrote an “I believe in you” message to boys going through struggles and to boys who overcome struggles in pursuit of their dreams.
His message has been retweeted and favorited more than 140,000 times and his Instagram post has been liked by more than 65,000 people.
Bridgewater was raised by his mother in the Liberty City neighborhood of Miami. His mother told the Pioneer Press in 2014, shortly after Bridgewater was drafted by the Vikings, that he walked one mile to school every day, often going past “lock crackheads” in what was then a “high-crime area.”
Bridgewater, whose Instagram describes him as a “Neighborhood Hope Dealer,” is set to become a free agent in what is a loaded class of quarterbacks that includes Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Dak Prescott, Jameis Winston, Philip Rivers, Taysom Hill, Ryan Tannehill and Marcus Mariota.
