Mother of Steelers top pick Derrick Harmon passes away shortly after he told her he was drafted
The mother of Derrick Harmon passed away shortly after the Pittsburgh Steelers selected him in Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Tiffany Saine, Harmon’s mother, was on life support and passed away after Harmon rushed to the hospital to tell her that her son had been drafted by the Steelers.
Saine suffered a stroke during Harmon’s freshman year at Michigan State that left her paralyzed on her left side and unable to walk, Ryan Clarke of The Oregonian reported this past October. She underwent several brain surgeries prior to the stroke. Harmon transferred to Oregon ahead of the 2024 season, and Saine flew out to Eugene to watch him play.
Harmon had to cancel some of his pre-draft visits to stay by his mother’s side, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. ESPN released a video where Harmon spoke about the impact his mother had on his life.
Derrick Harmon emotional after NFL Draft selection
Before Harmon went to hospital to see her, he spoke with the Pittsburgh media. Harmon said it was “bittersweet” getting drafted but not having his mom by his side.
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“It was a little bittersweet; my mom wasn’t with me,” Harmon said, via Bob Labriola of Steelers.com. “She’s at the hospital right now on life support. So, that was a little bittersweet, because she worked as hard as me to get to this moment. But it was still a once in a lifetime experience. So, like I said, I’m very excited. How resilient she was [helped me get to this moment]. I grew up with her having probably seven, eight brain surgeries. And after all those brain surgeries, she did not give up. She still took me to practice, still went to work.
“And I always got it in the back of my head from the beginning of my college career. Why can’t I keep going if I’m tired, if I’m injured or whatever it is? Why can’t I keep going, if she can get up and she keeps going after brain surgery. After I get off the phone with you guys, I’m heading straight to the hospital and tell her that her son got drafted.”