The Pittsburgh Steelers have released a statement regarding the death of the mother of Derrick Harmon, who the team selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Read more: Mother of Steelers First-Round Pick Derrick Harmon Passed Away Shortly After Her Son Got Drafted
“On behalf of the entire Pittsburgh Steelers organization, I extend our deepest condolences to Derrick Harmon and his family during this difficult time,” Steelers President Art Rooney II said in a statement.
“Though 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. In times like this, we hope Derrick finds comfort in the love and support from the organization and Steelers fans around the world.
“Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with Derrick’s entire family.”
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Harmon’s mother, Tiffany Saine, suffered a stroke during his freshman year at Michigan State that paralyzed her left side. She underwent about eight brain surgeries over the course of her life, according to Harmon, and was on life support while he heard his name called during Thursday’s draft.
After speaking to reporters, Harmon went to the hospital to visit his mother and tell her he had been drafted by the Steelers. She reportedly passed away shortly after.
“It was a little bittersweet,” Harmon said Thursday of being drafted. “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.”
He also took the time to discuss his mother’s impact on his life.
“How resilient she was,” Harmon said. “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.”
Harmon is coming off a 2024 season with Oregon in which he accumulated 45 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and five sacks as a defensive lineman.
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