This football player scored more than a ride to his team’s voluntary workouts – he also scored a friend for life in his Uber driver.
Shareece Wright was stranded at Chicago O’Hare airport in Illinois on Sunday night when he had to be in Buffalo, New York at 7AM for practice.
After two different Uber drivers flaked on the drive, Wright was getting desperate. Then, 26-year-old Hadi Abdollahian answered the request, assuming that it was just another normal night on the job.
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Wright called Abdollahian and asked if the driver didn’t mind taking him to Buffalo. Thinking that the sports star meant “Buffalo Wild Wings”, rather than “Buffalo, New York”, he accepted. Abdollahian picked up Wright from the airport and found that he had misheard the destination. But, because he wanted to be a man of his word, the driver then told Wright to sit back, relax, and enjoy the 8-hour drive.
While the two traveled, the sports star and the driver exchanged stories about their lives, backgrounds, and careers. Abdollahian described how he first came to the United States in 2013 as an Iranian refugee and how he plans on studying computer science at Loyola University, while Wright talked about his family and professional football.
“He didn’t complain once. He kept me from stressing out. The only thing he complained about was people driving 50 miles an hour,” Wright told CNN. “His focus was to get me there on time and he did.”
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After only stopping once to refuel, the Nissan Altima drove through the night until they finally arrived at the sports team’s facility – just in time for practice.
The trip cost a whopping $632 – but Wright was sure to tip his new friend an extra $300 for his compassion and company. Upon hearing about the trip, Bluerock Energy, one of the Buffalo Bills’s corporate sponsors attempted to reimburse Wright for the trip.
Wright, who is currently under a $775,000 contract, decided that Abdollahian deserved it more – so he sent it back to his friend in Chicago, bringing the driver’s payment to over $1,800.
As far as the trip is concerned, however, the aspiring student says he’s mostly just happy that he has a new friend. The two have chatted on the phone since their trip together, and they both plan on staying connected in the future.
“Honestly, I’m more excited … because of Mr. Wright,” Abdollahian told the Washington Post. “I’m his friend just for taking him to New York. This is more than enough for me.”
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