For many NFL fans, DeAndre Hopkins is known as one of the most talented wide receivers of his generation. Across more than a decade in professional football, Hopkins built a reputation for elite hands, toughness, and consistency. But behind his football success lies a deeply emotional family story that has shaped both his life and career.
At the center of that story is his mother, Sabrina Greenlee, whose life changed forever in 2002 after surviving a brutal acid attack that left her permanently blind and severely burned. The horrifying incident became one of the defining moments in Hopkins’ childhood, affecting not only his family but also the way he views resilience, faith, and personal strength.
Over the years, Hopkins has spoken openly about the impact his mother’s survival had on him growing up. Their close relationship has become widely recognized through one touching NFL tradition: after scoring touchdowns, Hopkins often brings the football directly to his mother in the stands, even though she cannot physically see him play.
Today, Sabrina Greenlee’s story represents far more than tragedy. Through advocacy work, public speaking, and her memoir, she has transformed unimaginable pain into a message about forgiveness, healing, and perseverance.
What Happened to Sabrina Greenlee?
In July 2002, Sabrina Greenlee suffered a life-altering attack that would permanently change her family’s future.
According to multiple reports and interviews, Greenlee was assaulted by another woman connected to a man Greenlee had been dating. During the confrontation, the attacker threw a mixture of bleach and lye onto Greenlee’s face, neck, and back. The corrosive chemicals caused devastating injuries almost instantly.
Greenlee later described feeling her skin peeling away as the chemicals burned through her body. She was airlifted to a specialized burn center and placed into a medically induced coma while doctors attempted to save her life. She ultimately underwent dozens of surgeries as part of her recovery process. The attack left Greenlee permanently blind.
At the time, DeAndre Hopkins was just 10 years old. In later interviews, Hopkins admitted the experience traumatized him deeply as a child. He recalled being surprised and frightened seeing his mother after the attack because of the severity of her injuries.
The woman responsible for the attack was later sentenced to prison for assault and battery with intent to kill. The acid attack became one of the defining emotional experiences of Hopkins’ life growing up.
Before the attack, Hopkins had already experienced major family hardship. His father died in a car accident when Hopkins was only a few months old, leaving Sabrina Greenlee to raise four children as a single mother.
After the attack, the family faced even greater emotional and financial challenges. Greenlee battled depression, physical pain, and the enormous difficulty of adapting to blindness while still trying to care for her children. Hopkins has spoken about witnessing his mother hit emotional lows during that period, including moments where he feared losing her entirely.
In one widely discussed story, Hopkins revealed he once stopped his mother from walking toward a highway during a suicidal crisis after the attack. The memory remains one of the most emotional experiences he has ever shared publicly.
Football eventually became both an escape and a source of motivation for Hopkins. He has repeatedly credited his mother’s resilience as the reason he developed such mental toughness throughout his football career. Rather than allowing tragedy to define the family permanently, Greenlee continued encouraging her son’s athletic ambitions despite her own suffering.
Why DeAndre Hopkins Gives His Mother the Football After Touchdowns
One of the most touching traditions in the NFL involves Hopkins finding his mother after touchdowns and handing her the football.
The gesture gained widespread attention during his years with the Houston Texans and has continued throughout his NFL career. Although Greenlee cannot physically watch him play because of her blindness, Hopkins says the tradition helps preserve the emotional connection they shared before the attack.
Hopkins explained that when he was younger, his mother always sat close to the field watching his games. After she lost her vision, he wanted to create a tradition that would still make her feel involved in his football journey.
The moment resonates strongly with fans because it represents something deeper than a sports celebration. It symbolizes gratitude, family loyalty, and remembrance of everything Greenlee endured while raising him.
Many NFL viewers first learned about Sabrina Greenlee’s story through those emotional touchdown moments. Over time, the tradition became one of the defining images associated with Hopkins’ career.
Sabrina Greenlee’s Journey Toward Forgiveness
Perhaps the most remarkable part of Sabrina Greenlee’s story is not simply survival, but forgiveness.
In interviews promoting her memoir Grant Me Vision: A Journey of Family, Faith, and Forgiveness, Greenlee revealed that she eventually forgave the woman responsible for the attack.
That forgiveness became a central part of her healing process. Greenlee has repeatedly explained that carrying hatred and anger would have continued harming her emotionally long after the physical injuries occurred.
During a CBS News interview, she stated that despite all the suffering she experienced, she would not change her past because the hardships helped shape her into the person she became.
Her perspective profoundly influenced Hopkins as well. In interviews discussing football setbacks and adversity, Hopkins often references his mother’s strength as a reminder that sports problems are minor compared to real-life trauma. That mindset helped shape his reputation as one of the NFL’s mentally toughest players.
Sabrina Greenlee Became an Advocate for Domestic Violence Survivors
Rather than retreating from public life after the attack, Greenlee eventually transformed her experience into advocacy work.
She founded S.M.O.O.O.T.H. Inc., a nonprofit organization focused on supporting survivors of domestic violence and helping vulnerable young people.
Through speaking engagements and mentoring programs, Greenlee began sharing her story publicly to encourage others facing abuse, trauma, and emotional hardship. Her openness about domestic violence and recovery helped many survivors feel less isolated.
The release of her memoir in 2024 brought even more attention to her journey. The book details not only the acid attack itself but also earlier experiences involving poverty, abuse, and emotional hardship before the assault occurred.
For many readers, the memoir reframed Greenlee not simply as “DeAndre Hopkins’ mother,” but as a survivor whose own story carries independent emotional power.