The 2025 NFL draft got underway with its first round on Thursday night, effectively changing the lives of 32 young men who are standouts in the sport. Among them was Derrick Harmon, a 21-year-old defensive tackle from Detroit, Michigan who played his college career at Michigan State and the University of Oregon.
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That night, he got the call that few receive. All of his hard work had paid off. The twenty-first overall draft pick would become a Pittsburgh Steeler. Harmon broke down into tears as the friends and family members who surrounded him cheered. Unfortunately, one person, perhaps the most important person, wasn’t there.
After speaking to Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and others, Harmon addressed the media, as is traditional for these young men. But while his fellow draftees were enjoying a night of celebration, Harmon told the press through tears that he had different plans. He was heading to the hospital to tell his mother, Tiffany, who was fighting for her life, that his dream had come true.
“A blessing. It’s truly a blessing. It’s really a blessing. It was a little bittersweet, man. My mom wasn’t with me, um, she’s at the hospital right now on life support, so… After I get off the phone with you guys, I’m going to head straight to the hospital and kind of tell her her son got drafted,” he said, barely able to get the words out.
Harmon made it to the hospital to give his mom the good news. Sadly, she died shortly after he arrived by her side. No doubt she was proud of him, even if she probably couldn’t express it the way other parents did for their sons on Thursday night.
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Derrick Harmon’s mother, who had been on life support, sadly passed away shortly after he arrived at the hospital and told her he had been drafted by the Steelers.
Our thoughts are with him and his family.
#NFL #Steelers pic.twitter.com/C68rdebUwx
— The Standard (@TheStandard412) April 25, 2025
If you haven’t gotten out your tissues yet, this ought to do it. When Harmon was a freshman at Michigan State, Tiffany had a stroke that left her partially paralyzed, though it sounds like she’d been plagued with a lifetime of health issues. He said that growing up, she’d had multiple brain surgeries, so it was “hard but something we were used to.” But her resilience also taught him some valuable life lessons.
“After all those brain surgeries, man, she did not give up. She still took me to practice, still went to work, and always, 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, I’m injured, whatever it is, why can’t I keep going if she can get up and she can keep going after brain surgery?” he said on Thursday.
Harmon definitely loved his mother and gave her everything he had in return.
“My mom means everything to me. Her name is Tiffany Saine. That’s my rock, that’s my why,” Harmon said in a video tribute presented by the NFL.
He added, “I’m originally from Detroit, Michigan, so I was probably 45 minutes away from home once I went to Michigan State. It was very hard; leaving and going to Oregon was probably the hardest decision I had to make. I sat down with my mom and we had a discussion, and she told me every decision I made up to this point was for her, and it’s time to make a decision for myself. I carried that through the whole process of going 2,000 miles away all the way to Oregon. She’s the reason why I’m here. She’s the one that did everything for me to get to this point. I love you, Mom.”
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Derrick Harmon was drafted last night and went to spend time with his mom, who had been paralyzed after having several strokes. She passed away shortly after he achieved his dream. That is heartbreaking. You guys need to get a grip—and some perspective.pic.twitter.com/OryGoPqIHB https://t.co/IKdeXW79VG
— Delano Squires (@DelanoSquires) April 26, 2025
At the Rose Bowl in December, a reporter asked him what he spent his name, image, and likeness (NIL) money on while playing college football. While many of these young men spend it on fancy cars, clothes, and tech gadgets, Harmon had a different answer.
“Um, I bought my mom a car,” he said.
“What’d you get her?” the reporter asked.
“Uh, she had a stroke my freshman year, so I was able to get like a van accessible type thing…they require a wheelchair,” he explained.
SPECIAL PERSON: Derrick Harmon says that he used his NIL Money last year to purchase an accessible van for his mom after she had a stroke
Harmon went to the hospital last night to tell his mother, who is in a coma, that he was drafted to the #Steelers pic.twitter.com/ZuhzVVf8TJ
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) April 25, 2025
Upon hearing of Tiffany’s death, the Steelers issued a statement via president Art Rooney II.
On behalf of the entire Pittsburgh Steelers organization, I extend our deepest condolences to Derrick Harmon and his family during this difficult time. 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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