$300 Tip For Chicago Uber Driver Who Drove Buffalo Bills Player 550 Miles For Practice

CHICAGO, IL — There's dedication to a job and then there's the work dedication that NFL cornerback Shareece Wright and his Uber driver, Hadi Abdollahian, exhibited this week. Wright showed that he takes his team training seriously, and like the lyrics from the Proclaimers' only hit, Abdollahian would drive 500 miles (and he would drive 500 more on the return trip) to be the man who got the Buffalo Bills player to practice on time Monday.

Wright was stranded in Chicago after missing his connecting flight Sunday night at O'Hare International Airport. But he needed to be in Buffalo by early Monday morning for workouts. So instead of going by air, Wright decided to travel by land and hailed an Uber driven by Abdollahian. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Chicago — or your neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

When Wright jumped into the back of Abdollahian's Nissan Ultima and said he was going to Buffalo, the 26-year-old North Sider told the Chicago Sun-Times he thought his fare was asking to go to a Buffalo Wild Wings or, at the most, Buffalo Grove, which would've only been a 30-minute drive. He certainly didn't think he was headed to the East Coast.

But nine hours, 550 miles and five states later, Abdollahian had ferried Wright to Buffalo, New York. The Bills defensive player needed to be there at 7 a.m. Monday, and he pulled up at the facility at 6:58 a.m.

“I was not able to see the destination until I started the trip. And because I promised him, I drove all the way to New York,” Abdollahian told the Sun-Times.

Ultimately, the fare put Wright back $632.08 — Abdollahian receives $469 after Uber takes it cut — and to show his gratitude, Wright not only thanked his driver, but he tipped him an extra $300. It was a gesture Abdollahian rarely sees, and when he does, it's usually only for a $1, the Sun-Times reports. Along with Wright's tip, Abdollahian also received extra cash from BlueRock Energy, a Buffalo Bills sponsor, which matched the cost of Wright's fare, the report added.

"Thank God for him — he got me here on time. He’s a trouper for reals," Wright told ESPN.

Despite not being a sports fan, Abdollahian and Wright were still able to spend the long car ride talking about family and other personal matters. Originally from Iran, Abdollahian immigrated four years ago after his father, an Iranian air force pilot, was killed for his views, leaving behind his mother and two older brothers, the report stated. He eventually wants to earn enough money to study computer science at Loyola University and has dreams of becoming an astronaut, the report added.

"I told him a lot of stuff," Abdollahian told the Sun-Times. "I felt comfortable because he was so friendly."

And what did Abdollahian do after he drove the nine-hour return trip and was back at his once he returned to his one-room apartment on the North Side?

“As soon as I got home, I slept for 12 hours. Basically, I passed out,” he told the Sun-Times.

More via the Chicago Sun-Times

Image via Uber

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