Derrick Harmon's mother died shortly after Steelers drafted him
Tiffany Saine was at the hospital on life support when Harmon's name was called on draft night.
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The Steelers drafted Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon with the 21st overall pick. Harmon then went to the hospital to share the news with his mother, Tiffany Saine, who was on life support.
The Steelers confirmed Friday night that Saine died shortly after Harmon arrived.
"On behalf of the entire Pittsburgh Steelers organization, I extend our deepest condolences to Derrick Harmon and his family during this difficult time," Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement. "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's mother had multiple brain surgeries before a stroke during his freshman season at Michigan State left her paralyzed on her left side. He transferred to Oregon in 2023.
After he was drafted Thursday night, Harmon called his mom his inspiration.
"Man, how resilient she was," Harmon said, via Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.com. "Just growing up, from my standpoint, my situation, 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, always got in the back of my head, from the beginning of my college career, was, why can I keep going if I'm tired; I'm injured, whatever it is. Why can I keep going if she can get up and she can keep going after brain surgery. So, just her resilience, and hard work."
