Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon was drafted to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday (April 24), but tragedy struck just a short time later when his mom passed away. The 21-year-old athlete’s mother, Tiffany Saine , was on life support in the hospital and shortly after being drafted, he was able to head to the hospital and tell her the news. She passed shortly after.
Apparently she had suffered a stroke when he was in college and had underwent multiple brain surgeries over the years. Keep reading to find out more..
. Before her passing, Derrick spoke to reporters and explained the situation. “That was a little bittersweet [to get drafted] because she worked as hard just as me to get to this moment.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’m very excited,” he said to a local news station after the draft. “I’m going to head straight to the hospital and tell her that her son got drafted,” he said added.
After this interview, he did make it to the hospital. “ Derrick Harmon ’s mom, who was on life support, passed away shortly after he went to the hospital and got to tell her he had been drafted by the Steelers,” Gerry Dulac from the Post-Gazette tweeted out on X . Our condolences go out to Derrick and his entire family on their loss.
RIP..
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Steelers NFL Draft Pick Derrick Harmon's Mom Passes Away After He's Selected

Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon was drafted to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday (April 24), but tragedy struck just a short time later when his mom passed away. The 21-year-old athlete’s mother, Tiffany Saine, was on life support in the hospital and shortly after being drafted, [...]