PITTSBURGH — Tears welled in Derrick Harmon’s eyes as the miles flew by on I-96 in Michigan. It was 2022, and Harmon, then a defensive tackle at Michigan State, raced from East Lansing to Detroit after getting the sudden news that his mother, Tiffany Saine, had a stroke.
Raised by a single mother in Detroit, Harmon considered Saine his best friend. He calls her his “why.” Health issues had been a concern even before Harmon enrolled at Michigan State, as his mother endured about seven or eight brain surgeries while Harmon was growing up. The stroke left her paralyzed on her left side.
The way she handled the surgeries and continued to fight to rehab after the stroke provided Harmon with a model of resilience.
“Man, she did not give up,” Harmon said. “She still took me to practice, still went to work. Always back in 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 keeps going after brain surgery?’”
On Thursday, Harmon once again shed tears during a “bittersweet” draft night. After the Steelers selected the 6-foot-3, 312-pound Oregon defensive lineman with the 21st pick, his voice cracked on a conference call as he shared the news that his mother was on life support at a local Detroit hospital.
“After I get off the phone with you,” Harmon told reporters, “I’m going to head straight to the hospital and tell her that her son got drafted.”
Harmon did get that opportunity to share the good news with his mother late Thursday night. That would be their final conversation. Shortly after, Saine died, the Steelers confirmed in a statement Friday.
“On behalf of the entire Pittsburgh Steelers organization, I extend our deepest condolences to Derrick Harmon and his family during this difficult time,” owner and president Art Rooney II said in the 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 these, 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.”
Harmon has often said he wouldn’t have achieved his football dreams without his mother making sacrifices and showing him the way.
After an all-state career at Loyola High in Detroit, Harmon fielded offers from various schools, including Ole Miss and Purdue. However, the three-star prospect chose to stay in-state because he wanted to be closer to his mother. After she had the stroke, Harmon used his NIL money to buy her a wheelchair-accessible van.
After three seasons in East Lansing, Harmon made the difficult decision to transfer to Oregon in an effort to boost his draft stock.
“It was very hard leaving and going to Oregon,” Harmon said in a video produced by ESPN. “It was probably the hardest decision I had to make. I sat down with my mom and we had a discussion. She told me, ‘Every decision I made to this point was for her. It’s time to make a decision for myself.’”
Harmon’s stock skyrocketed during his single season at Oregon. Playing in a three-man front, he logged 10 1/2 tackles for loss and five sacks, while leading FBS interior defensive linemen with 55 pressures. That production reaffirmed his decision to transfer and earned him an opportunity to be drafted in the first round by the Steelers.
Shortly after the Steelers made the selection, coach Mike Tomlin talked about the character of the man Saine raised.
“His intangible qualities are very attractive,” Tomlin said. “He’s a smart guy. He’s a football guy. He’s got natural leadership skills.
“People in Oregon were really blown away by his ability to fit in, and not only fit in but lead, in a short period of time. He had a similar reputation at Michigan State. And so the tangible things are obvious, but we were equally as impressed with his intangible qualities, intellect, his relationship with the game, his natural leadership qualities.”
Now, Harmon will begin the next chapter of his journey with a heavy heart and the memory of his mother fueling his fire.
“She’s the reason why I’m here,” Harmon said in the ESPN video. “She’s the one that did everything for me to get to this point. I love you, Mom. Everything I do is for you. I’m forever grateful.”
(Photo: Ric Tapia / Getty Images)
