This week, Buffalo Bills cornerback Shareece Wright pulled the ultimate hero move to arrive at (optional) OTAs after his flight from Chicago’s O’Hare airport to Buffalo was canceled. Instead of skipping out on OTAs or renting a car with Budget for like $100, Wright took an Uber from Chicago to Buffalo. 532 miles. 4 states. 8 hours of travel. The total trip ended up costing him $632.08, but he tacked on a $300 tip, bringing the total to a hair under $1,000.
— Shareece Wright (@ShareeceWright) June 6, 2017
26-year-old Hadi Abdollahian picked up Wright in his Nissan Altima, but admitted that he had a different destination in mind when Wright told him to go to Buffalo. According to the Washington Post:
“He told me Buffalo and I thought he meant Buffalo [Wild Wings] grill,” Abdollahian said “So I said, ‘Yeah, for sure.’”
Nevertheless, the 26-year-old—a refugee who came to Chicago from Turkey four years ago—agreed to the longer journey.
“I promised him on the phone,” Abdollahian told Payne, “so I said, ‘let’s hit the road.’ ”
Payne added that BlueRock Energy, sponsored by the Bills, matched Wright’s $932.08 fare to thank Abdollahian.”
Hadi wasn’t just awarded monetarily for the trip, he and Wright sparked up a friendship on their 8+ hour trip.
“He starts talking about his family and kids,” Abdollahian said. “He was really an amazing guy. I loved his company,” added Abdollahian, who hopes to study computer science this fall at Loyola University. “We had a great time.”
Wright inquired about Hadi’s life and his struggles of relocating to Chicago from a war-torn region of Turkey four years ago under a United Nations refugee program.
“He called me today,” Abdollahian said. The two chatted about how their story had gone viral. Hopefully Wright will hook his buddy up with some tickets so he can make the trip to Buffalo in the fall.
[h/t Washington Post]