Derrick Harmon suffered a great personal loss moments after he celebrated being drafted in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Harmon’s mother, Tiffany Saine, died “shortly after he went to the hospital and got to tell her he had been drafted,” according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac. Harmon was drafted with the 21st overall pick by the Steelers on Thursday, April 24.
Saine suffered a stroke during Harmon’s freshman year at Michigan State in 2021, which left her paralyzed on her left side. Harmon has said his mother’s stroke was something his family “was used to,” because his mother had “about eight brain surgeries” while he was growing up.
Harmon transferred to Oregon in May 2024, making the difficult decision to move across the country from his mother, who was living in Detroit.
“I sat down with my mom and we had a discussion,” Harmon said during an ESPN profile that aired during the NFL Draft on Thursday. “She told me every decision I made up to this point was for her and it’s time to make a decision for myself.”
Harmon’s mother was top of mind for the defensive tackle throughout the first night of the Draft.
“She’s at the hospital right now on life support, so that was a little bittersweet because she worked just as hard as me to get to this moment,” Harmon said on a media call after his selection. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’m very excited.”
He added, “After I get off the phone with you guys, I’m going to head straight to the hospital and tell her that her son got drafted.”
Harmon explained how he learned resiliency from his mother, who he routinely flew back to visit in Michigan throughout the football season.
“After all those brain surgeries, man, she did not give up,” he told reporters on Thursday. “She still needed practice, still went to work. Always in the back of my head from the beginning of my college career was: ‘Why can’t I keep going? If I’m tired, injured, whatever it is, why can’t I keep going?’ If she can get up and she can keep going after brain surgeries.”
He added, “She was my inspiration.”
Harmon shared a childhood photo of himself and his mother via his Instagram Story on Thursday night.
“This all for you!!!” he wrote. “And I’m do what you told me I can do a long time ago. I love you till the wheels fall off!!!! ❤️😭.”
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