The mother of Derrick Harmon reportedly died shortly after hearing that he had been drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The defensive tackle was the No 21 overall pick in Thursday night’s first round but Harmon admitted it was ‘a little bittersweet’ because his mom could not be there to celebrate with him.
‘She’s at the hospital right now on life support,’ he said. On Friday, however, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Tiffany Saine had died – not long after Harmon visited her and told her about his move to Pittsburgh.
She had previously suffered a stroke while he was at Michigan State and had undergone brain surgeries.
According to NFL Network, Harmon was forced to cancel some pre-draft visits in order to stay with his mother during her final weeks.
Speaking after securing his place in the NFL, the 21-year-old fought back tears as he said: ‘It’s truly a blessing. It’s really a blessing. But it was a little bittersweet. My mom wasn’t with me – she’s at the hospital right now on life support.
Derrick Harmon’s mom reportedly died shortly after he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers
He posted a picture of himself alongside his mother from when he was a kid on Instagram
The defensive tackle was the No 21 overall pick in Thursday night’s first round of the draft
‘After I get off the phone with you guys, I’m headed straight to the hospital to tell her that her son got drafted… she worked just as hard as me to get to this moment.’
While at Oregon, Harmon revealed that he used money earned through NIL to buy his mom an accessible van following her stroke.
Speaking to ESPN ahead of the Draft, Harmon said: ‘My mom means everything to me. Her name is Tiffany Saine and that’s my rock, that’s my why.
‘My freshman year at Michigan State, she ended up having a stroke which left her paralyzed on her left side. It was kind of hard but with her health it is something we were used to – growing up, she had about eight brain surgeries.
‘I am originally from Detroit so I was about 45 minutes from home when I went to Michigan State. She is the reason why I am here. She is the one that did everything for me up to this point.
‘I love you, mom. Everything I do is for you. I am forever grateful.’
He also posted a picture to Instagram of himself with his mom from when he was a child.
‘This is for you,’ he wrote. ‘I’m do what you told me I can do a long time ago. I love you till the wheels fall off.’
