A football player lost his mother less than 24 hours after being drafted by an NFL team.
According to ESPN, Derrick Harmon, who was selected as the No. 21 pick of the NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, lost his mother shortly after the NFL Commissioner called his name on draft night. Harmon was on his way to see his mother, Tiffanny Saine, after leaving a draft party acknowledging his selection. She was on life support.
“It was a little bittersweet, man,” Harmon said moments after being drafted by the Steelers. “My mom wasn’t with me, 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.”
Saine suffered a stroke in 2022 that left her paralyzed on her left side. Harmon chose to play for Michigan State so he could be close to his mother, who had also had several brain surgeries before suffering her stroke. He played his senior season at Oregon.
Steelers President Art Rooney II gave a statement regarding the death of Harmon’s mother.
“On behalf of the entire Pittsburgh Steelers organization, I extend our deepest condolences to Derrick Harmon and his family during this difficult time.
“Though we are excited to select Derrick in the first round of the NFL Draft, our hearts are heavy as we mourn the death of his mother, Tiffany Saine. We will support Derrick and his family however we can as he navigates this period of grief. In times like this, we hope Derrick finds comfort in the love and support from the organization and Steelers fans around the world.
Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with Derrick’s entire family.”
Harmon said he got his resilience from his mother.
“After all those brain surgeries, man, she did not give up. She still took me to practice, still went to work, and I always, 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, I’m injured, whatever it is, why can’t I keep going if she can get up and she can keep going after brain surgery?”
The Detroit Free Press reported that Harmon, born in Detroit, played football at Detroit Loyola, where he was a two-time All-State first team selection and a three-star recruit before heading to Michigan State.
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