Derrick Harmon knew exactly where he needed to be after he was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday.
Harmon, who stayed at home during draft festivities, left as soon as he got off the phone with reporters to visit his mother in the hospital.
“She’s on life support, so after I get off the phone with you guys, I’m gonna head straight to the hospital and tell her, her son got drafted,” Harmon said via Sports Illustrated.
Harmon was able to share the moment and deliver the news. But shortly after, his mother, Tiffany Saine, died, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. Saine suffered a stroke during her son’s freshman year at Michigan State which paralyzed her left side. Harmon noted prior to that she had undergone several brain surgeries while working full-time as a single mother.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero previously reported that Harmon cancelled several of his pre-draft visits to stay with her.
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