One NFL player went on one of the longest Uber rides ever just to make sure he wouldn't miss practice. In the 2017 offseason, Shareece Wright wanted to make a good first impression on his new team, the Buffalo Bills, after spending the last two seasons playing for the Baltimore Ravens. When OTAs arrived, the 30-year-old Wright was eager to prove he still had a lot left in the tank.
The Bills cornerback rotation was wide open that season with Ronald Darby and rookie Tre'Davious White as his only competition. However, when Wright was getting ready to leave for a flight from Chicago to Buffalo, he had a bit of a problem. His flight got in late, which meant he couldn't make it on time for his connecting flight at 11 p.m.
Stuck at O'Hare International Airport, Wright was determined to make it to the Bills facility before 7 a.m. He tried calling one of his ex-teammates who lived in Chicago, but he never replied. This left him with only one more option, Uber. At this point, Wright was praying for a miracle. After all, it's nearly impossible to book an Uber that drives you across different states.
Hadi Abdollahian saves the day
Luckily for Wright, his prayers were answered thanks to a man named Hadi Abdollahian, who happened to be driving late that night and misunderstood his request.
“He told me Buffalo, and I thought he meant Buffalo [Wild Wings] grill,” Abdollahian said to The Washington Post. “So, I said, yeah, no problem.”
Once Abdollahian realized it wouldn't be a quick drive to Wild Wings, he had the choice to decline the ride. But since he told Wright on the phone before the booking he'd agree to take him where he needed to be, he told him four words: “Let's hit the road.”
The two got pretty close after 543 miles (848 KM) and seven hours on the road and learned that Abdollahian was a refugee living alone in Chicago. In the end, Wright arrived at the Bills facility on time, and the trip alone cost him $632.08, but he added a $300 tip for his driver's troubles.
That's not even the best part. When Bills sponsor BlueRock Energy found out what Abdollahian did, they offered to match the fare to make sure he'd have more than enough money to get home. Now that's an Uber ride deserving of the Hall of Fame.
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