Bridgewater won’t be in Louisville’s Senior Day activities

Teddy Bridgewater will not be taking part in the Senior Day ceremonies Saturday when the University of Louisville football team takes on Memphis.

This particular decision has apparently been made for him by Coach Charlie Strong who said during his press conference that the special event is reserved for seniors. Bridgewater, even though he graduates in December, remains a third-year player as far as the coach is concerned.

The fact that Bridgewater’s name could be called early in the National Football League draft is irrelevant to the UofL coach. For now, anyway.

“I don’t know if this is going to be his last game,” said Strong. “We’ve got time to worry about that. He’s a junior. He shouldn’t be concerned about that. The only thing he needs to be concerned about is getting ready to come back another year. That’s the only thing we’re going to worry about with him.”

So there’s a chance he will return?

“I haven’t had that discussion with him,” said Strong. “Teddy came in with a group of guys that he’s grown up with — Eli Rogers, Jermaine Reve, Michalee Harris, Corvin Lamb. All those guys went through high school together. And now he’s looking at (possible) separation.  That’s coming into play with him. That’s going to weigh a lot on him because they’ve been tight in high school, now even in college.

“People do come back. I was at Florida when Tim Tebow came back. A lot of times guys worry about the injury part of it but if we play right and we protect him, a lot of things can happen

Would Strong encourage Bridgewater to come back?

“If that’s what he wants to do (is play in the NFL), I’m not going to stop him,” he said.

The coach apparently believes, however, that there is a possibility that Teddy Bridgewater could be returning for another year, and ceremonies at the end of 2014 honoring him and his senior classmates.