Football brings many different backgrounds together, but it also builds strong bonds among family members.
In the fifth episode of Hard Knocks In Season: The Arizona Cardinals, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and his mother, Sabrina Greenlee, opened up more about her experience surviving domestic violence.
Hopkins explained why his mother wanted to tell her story when he got to the NFL.
"I think we had to be vulnerable in that moment to help somebody else." Hopkins discussed. "Some people still don't know I feel like."
In July 2002, Greenlee, then at the age of 30 and a mother of four children, was blinded during an attack by a young woman.
A young teen Hopkins' reaction: "Shoot, I gotta be a man now."
That led to Hopkins stepping up and delivering on his football goals. After high school, Hopkins decided to play college ball at Clemson. In his junior season with the Tigers, he recorded 82 receptions for 1,405 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns in 13 games.
"In high school, I realized that more or so now that it's harder for her to come to the games," Hopkins said. "I'm trying to make every catch so my momma can hear my name as much as possible."
Hopkins was selected 27th overall in the 2013 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. During his time in Houston, Hopkins went to multiple Pro Bowls and became a dominating player on the field. The three-time All-Pro WR began a tradition by finding his mother in the stands and handing her the football following a touchdown -- a small gesture to share a moment and let her feel his presence.
Despite not being able to see her son play at the highest level, Greenlee explained what her son's gesture symbolizes.
"That ball it signifies love, it signifies strength." Hopkins' mother said.
Greenlee has turned the 2002 harrowing attack she endured into an opportunity to positively affect fellow survivors. She founded S.M.O.O.O.T.H. Inc. in 2013, a non-profit organization that empowers women affected by domestic violence, connects them with community resources, and provides both emotional and financial assistance.
