Pro-basketball player, Jersey City native stranded in Middle East
Eugene Campbell is headed home from Jordan on Friday, but he tells News 12, it's been a rough road.
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A professional athlete from Jersey City was stuck in the Middle East for almost two weeks amidst the ongoing conflict in the region.
Eugene Campbell is headed home from Jordan on Friday, but he tells News 12, it's been a rough road.
"I was going to be there for about a week. I was going to play three or four games, and then I was going to be able to go home," he said.
Instead, Campbell said he was unexpectedly cut from the Jordan-based Inglizia Sports Club after just one game.
The Jersey City native summarized the message he said he received from the team's coach: "We decided to sign another player. So, we'll be getting you your money for your time here, and we'll be getting you your flight back to the USA."
However, Campbell said they never followed through, and the living conditions in the team apartment started to get worse.
"We had no water, and then shortly after that...our heat was cut off, and we had no idea what was going on," he said. "Everybody's giving me the run around, and it got to the point where they were basically like, we're not giving you the money, we're not giving you the flight and you have to leave the apartment by tomorrow."
Campbell tells News 12 that he had been playing for a different team in Lebanon before the recent attacks in Iran.
Due to a fraudulent charge while he was there, Campbell said he had no access to his personal funds.
So, he took to social media and created a GoFundMe to raise money for a plane ticket.
The original goal was $3,000. Within two days, donations climbed to over $16,000.
"People that I haven't really talked to in some years are talking to me about it. I'm like 'Wow, it goes to show how much the community cares for Gene,'" said Christopher Lugo, Eugene's best friend back in New Jersey. "Jersey City yes, but Carteret, Rahway, Montclair, anywhere in New Jersey, people have been giving him love."
After his social media posts were widely shared, Campbell said he received a plane ticket from Inglizia Sports Club on Thursday.
He said he'll offer a refund to anyone who donated to the GoFundMe and would like one.
"I'll make sure my priority is giving back to my community because my community gave back to me," Campbell said when asked what he plans to do now.
News 12 reached out to Inglizia Sports Club for comment, and is awaiting a response.
