NFL Player DeAndre Hopkins' Mother Will Open Up About Losing Vision in Acid Attack in New Profile
Sabrina Greenlee is getting candid about the harrowing attack that changed her life.
Greenlee — the mother of Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins — was blinded in an acid attack in 2002. A woman threw a mixture of lye and bleach on Greenlee after learning her boyfriend was cheating on her with Greenlee. She was left for dead at a gas station, according to USA Today.
Now, Greenlee runs a non-profit domestic violence campaign and is opening up about her ordeal in the new, ESPN Cover Story multi-platform franchise.
In a trailer for the piece, Greenlee recalls, “I remember laying there, just thinking, ‘This is it.’ A white curtain comes over my eyes and I’m going blind.”
Hopkins, who is now 27 but was 10 at the time, tells ESPN, “I was young, I didn’t understand how big the situation was, I didn’t know my mom wasn’t ever going to be able to see.”
“You don’t really know what your next day is,” he explains.
Now, the NFL star says, “My mom is at every game. It gives me a different drive than a lot of people. … Just seeing her happy, that’s the best feeling in the world.”
The monthly initiative includes a long-form piece by Mina Kimes, as well as original photography and video content.
The debut ESPN Cover Story — which will publish on Wednesday — will also cover Hopkins’ and Greenlee’s bond, and why the athlete says he owes his career to his mother.
