{"id":44026,"date":"2025-04-28T14:10:24","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T18:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=44026"},"modified":"2025-04-28T14:10:24","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T18:10:24","slug":"pittsburgh-steelers-top-draft-pick-loses-mother-hours-after-being-selected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2025\/04\/pittsburgh-steelers-top-draft-pick-loses-mother-hours-after-being-selected.html","title":{"rendered":"Pittsburgh Steelers\u2019 Top Draft Pick Loses Mother Hours After Being Selected"},"content":{"rendered":"
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@derrick55___ \/ Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The night Derrick Harmon achieved his NFL dream turned bittersweet when tragedy struck.<\/p>\n

Shortly after Harmon was selected 21st overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2025 NFL Draft, his mother, Tiffany Saine, passed away in a Michigan hospital. Saine, who suffered a debilitating stroke in 2022 that left her paralyzed on her left side, had been on life support as her son learned of his football future surrounded by family in Detroit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a little bittersweet,\u201d Harmon said emotionally during a call with Pittsburgh media Thursday night. \u201cMy mom wasn\u2019t with me, she\u2019s at the hospital right now on life support. After I get off the phone with you guys, I\u2019m going to head straight to the hospital and tell her her son got drafted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harmon was able to visit his mother after the draft celebration, but she passed away shortly thereafter.<\/p>\n

The Pittsburgh Steelers offered public support in the wake of the heartbreaking news. \u201cOn behalf of the entire Pittsburgh Steelers organization, I extend our deepest condolences to Derrick Harmon and his family during this difficult time,\u201d team president Art Rooney II said in a statement. \u201cThough 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Faith, family, and resilience have been major themes throughout Harmon\u2019s journey. He credited his mother, calling her his “rock,” for instilling in him the perseverance that carried him through hardships on and off the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter all those brain surgeries, man, she did not give up,\u201d Harmon shared Thursday. \u201cShe still took me to practice, still went to work… Why can’t I keep going if she can keep going after brain surgery?\u201d<\/p>\n

During his years at Michigan State, Harmon chose to stay close to home to be near his mother. It wasn\u2019t until she encouraged him that he decided to transfer across the country to the University of Oregon. “We had a discussion and she told me every decision I had made up until this point was for her, and it\u2019s time to make a decision for myself,\u201d Harmon said.<\/p>\n

Despite the distance, Harmon\u2019s love for his mother remained front and center. One of his most meaningful purchases during his college career was a wheelchair-accessible van for her, made possible by his NIL earnings.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s the reason why I\u2019m here,\u201d Harmon told ESPN. \u201cShe\u2019s the one that did everything for me to get to this point. I love you, mom. Everything I do is for you. I\u2019m forever grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the field, Harmon quickly became a standout. In his senior season at Oregon, he earned second-team All-American honors and led all FBS interior defensive linemen with 55 pressures. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of Harmon, \u201cHe has Steeler DNA. For us, it starts inside and up front, and this is a guy that\u2019s capable of dominating that space.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Harmon\u2019s official introduction in Pittsburgh has been delayed as he grieves with his family, he carries with him the legacy of the woman who fought so hard for him\u2014and taught him never to give up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The night Derrick Harmon achieved his NFL dream turned bittersweet when tragedy struck. Shortly after Harmon was selected 21st overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2025 NFL Draft, his mother, Tiffany Saine, passed away in a Michigan hospital. Saine, who suffered a debilitating stroke in 2022 that left her paralyzed on her left side,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":44023,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-television"],"yoast_head":"\nPittsburgh Steelers\u2019 Top Draft Pick Loses Mother Hours After Being Selected<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Steelers\u2019 first-round pick Derrick Harmon lost his mother just hours after being drafted, turning a night of celebration into heartbreak.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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