Tragedy Strikes: Derrick Harmon’s NFL Dream Turns Heartbreaking as Mother Dies Moments After Draft Selection

What should have been the greatest night of Derrick Harmon’s life ended in devastating heartbreak.

Just moments after being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 21st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Harmon’s beloved mother, Tiffany Saine, tragically passed away.

According to a report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, Harmon had rushed to the hospital immediately after hearing his name called on Thursday night, April 24, to share the news with his mother.

Sadly, shortly after he told her of his life-changing achievement, she passed.

Tiffany Saine had been a pillar of strength for Harmon throughout his life.

Suffering a debilitating stroke during Harmon’s freshman year at Michigan State in 2021, Saine was left paralyzed on her left side.

But this wasn’t her first battle with adversity — she had survived an astonishing eight brain surgeries while raising her son, instilling in him the relentless resilience that propelled him to NFL stardom.

In May 2024, Harmon made the difficult decision to transfer from Michigan State to Oregon, moving across the country and leaving his mother behind in Detroit.

It was a move made with her blessing.

“I sat down with my mom and we had a discussion,” Harmon recalled in an emotional ESPN profile aired during the Draft.

“She told me every decision I made up to this point was for her and it’s time to make a decision for myself.”

Even as he celebrated achieving a lifelong dream, Harmon carried a heavy heart.

“She’s at the hospital right now on life support,” Harmon said during a media call following his selection.

“It’s bittersweet because she worked just as hard as I did to get to this moment.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I’m very excited, but I’m also hurting.”

Harmon wasted no time after his media obligations, saying he would immediately head to the hospital to tell his mother, one last time, that her son made it.

Throughout his college career, Harmon leaned on the lessons of resilience taught by his mother.

Flying back to Michigan whenever possible, he drew inspiration from her unyielding spirit.

“After all those brain surgeries, man, she did not give up,” Harmon said through tears.

“She still needed practice, still went to work.

Always in the back of my head from the beginning of my college career was: ‘If she can keep going, why can’t I?’”

“She was my hero, my inspiration,” Harmon added solemnly.

In a heart-wrenching tribute posted to his Instagram Story on Thursday night, Harmon shared a photo from his childhood with his mother, writing:

“This all for you!!! And I’m gonna do what you told me I could do a long time ago.

I love you till the wheels fall off!!!! ❤️😭”

The Pittsburgh Steelers, and indeed the entire football world, mourn with Derrick Harmon as he navigates the most bittersweet chapter of his young life — a moment of triumph forever intertwined with unimaginable loss.