DeAndre Hopkins, who plays wide receiver for the Houston Texans in the NFL, is used to being in the limelight. But now it is his mom’s turn to take center stage because she, and her inspirational life, are going to be the subject of a new Hollywood movie.
Last year, Hopkins was rated number 13 in the list of the top 100 players in the NFL as voted for by his fellow footballers. There is no doubt that he personifies his nickname of Nuke, although he might prove to be embarrassed with the origin of this name-tag which comes courtesy of the fact that when he was a baby, NUK was the brand name of the only pacifier that would keep him quiet.
The Nuke set a new ACC record last year when he amassed a total of 18 touchdowns. But right from the word “go”, he was destined for the big time when he set school records including 1,405 yards, 82 catches, and 12 x 100-yard matches.
While he was at Clemson University, having completed the 2010/2011 football season, he put himself up for the basketball team, Clemson Tigers. But while he became part of their NCAA tournament squad, he didn’t travel with them, and that is to the NFL’s gain.
Hopkins himself is now Hollywood bound, having announced that he will appear in Dwayne Johnson’s “Ballers,” the tongue in cheek HBO TV series. Of course, that will only be a small part, nothing like the star role background that his mother’s character and experiences will provide for in the movie about her life.
Although NFL football has a huge fan base who like to follow their favorite sport and place big bets on the outcomes of matches using platforms like Colossus Bets who offer the world’s biggest sports jackpots, no one would have bet on Sabrina eclipsing son DeAndre in the film stakes.
Sabrina Greenlee (Hopkins’ mother’s current name) was attacked by Savannah Carlita Grant 17-years ago. Grant’s boyfriend had been cheating with Sabrina, and in a revenge attack, Grant hurled a caustic mixture of bleach and lye into Sabrina’s face.
She was blinded for life and after the attack, immediately went into a coma. But that wasn’t the start of the trials that Greenlee had to endure.
When she was only 14-years-of-age and living in South Carolina, Sabrina was first exposed to abuse. By the time she reached the age of 17, she had been hospitalized three times through episodes of abuse. Following the acid attack, she awoke from a coma after 16 days only to lapse into deep depression and alcohol abuse for the next four years.
Despite the profound adversity she had to battle through, she went on as a single mom to raise a family of four. Her football star son insisted that his mother attended every home game, which she has done, but of course, although she has been there, she has never actually seen DeAndre Hopkins play.
Her story is an inspiration to many and the new film about her life, called simply, “Sabrina,” celebrates her life and what she has achieved.
The NFL star is thrilled about the making of the movie, and when asked about who would be right for the role of his mother, the Nuke nominated Oprah Winfrey. Of course, it will be Bron Studios (the company making the film) who will decide on who plays who.
