Derrick Harmon's mother dies moments after telling her of Pittsburgh Steelers draft pick
Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers as their 21st pick in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon as their 21st pick in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday. The 21-year-old rushed to the hospital from Lambeau Field to inform his mother, Tiffany Saine, about his dream day. She passed away shortly after he met her, Steelers insider Gerry Dulac reported on Friday.
Harmon's mother was on life support, he revealed after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced him as the Steelers' newest member. The star DT had canceled some of his pre-draft visits with teams to stay with her over the last few weeks.
After the draft pick, Harmon said, "It was a little bittersweet. My mom wasn't with me, she's at the hospital right now on life support. That was a little bittersweet man, because she worked as hard just as me to get to this moment, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so like I said, I'm very excited."
“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 added.
What happened to Derrick Harmon's mother?
Tiffany Saine suffered a stroke when Harmon was in his freshman year. He then played for Michigan State. She was hospitalized and paralyzed on her left side.
The Steelers' DT's mom traveled to the West Coast to see him play with Oregon last year. In that particular game, he recorded five sacks and 45 stops.
Derrick Harmon said that his mother was ‘resilient’. "Just growing up from my standpoint and my situation, I grew up with her having probably seven to eight brain surgeries, and after all those brain surgeries, she did not give up. She still took me to practice, still went to work. 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 or I'm injured, whatever it is, why can't I keep going if she can get up and keep going after brain surgery.' So just her resilience and her hard work really."
