“It was a little bittersweet. My mom wasn’t with me. She’s at the hospital right now on life support. After I get off the phone, I’m going to head straight to the hospital and tell her her son got drafted,” said defensive tackle Derrick Harmon in the direct aftermath of being drafted 21st overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL Draft. All his blood, sweat, and sacrifice over the years on the line of scrimmage and off it, finally bearing fruit. Reaping the rewards of the proverbial seeds he sowed. Being drafted is an unparalleled euphoria that players dream of, let alone being a first-rounder. But Harmon’s big day took a very somber turn. Gut-wrenching doesn’t even begin to describe it.
You don’t become an elite athlete unless you’ve gone through adversity in life. It’s just the morbid, twisted reality. It builds character and is what keeps that flame burning through the darkest of times. But Derrick Harmon’s had to deal with more, way more, than his fair share of peril. His mom, Tiffany Saine, underwent as many as eight brain surgeries over the years. Simultaneously, Harmon continued rushing quarterbacks with a vim unlike almost any of his contemporaries. It’s perhaps what fueled him, spurred him on. But 2022 brought about a line in the sand that would test the then-Michigan State freshman’s mettle more than anything he could’ve ever come up against on the gridiron. The surgeries sadly caught up to Tiffany Saine, and she suffered a stroke, which left her paralyzed on the left side and unable to walk.
A year later, Derrick Harmon had a choice. Remain at Michigan State, or move across the country to the Pacific Coast and Oregon. MSU was about a 45-minute drive from home, which meant he could tend to his mother more and spend more time together. Conversely, Oregon was the best part of 2000 miles away. “I sat down with my mom and we had a discussion,” he said. “She told me that every decision I made up to this point was for her, and it was time to make a decision for myself,” said Harmon in an interview. This is a crossroads no person is built to traverse, certainly not a teenager. But with his mother’s blessing, Harmon chose to further his career and better his avenues at blue-chip program Oregon.
Two years on, his tryst with destiny is complete, and Derrick Harmon is an NFL pro. But he wasn’t even afforded a day of solace. Hours after her son got drafted, Tiffany Saine passed away in a Detroit hospital. Harmon did make it to her in time to inform her about him getting drafted.
Heartbreaking news: #Steelers 1st rounder pick Derrick Harmon’s mother has passed away.
After he was drafted, Derrick immediately went to the hospital to tell her he was a Steeler and right after she passed.
Thoughts and prayers go out to the family pic.twitter.com/cxoqGEdZLU
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) April 25, 2025
The post How Did Derrick Harmon’s Mother Tiffany Saine Die? Here’s What We Know About Former Oregon DT’s Family Tragedy appeared first on EssentiallySports.
