The Oregonian and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on Friday, April 25, that Saine died shortly after they visited her in the hospital.
Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette claimed on X that “Derrick Harmon’s mom, who was on life support, passed away shortly after he went to the hospital and got to tell her he had been drafted by the Steelers.”
Harmon’s mother is his “why” and his “rock” in an emotional video that aired on ESPN on Thursday. His mother “ended up having a stroke” when he was a freshman at Michigan State, he recalled.
He went on to say, “It was kind of hard but it was something that we were used to,” adding that Saine had had “about eight brain surgeries” during his childhood.
Saine had been considering transferring to Oregon, where he could succeed as a player, or staying at Michigan State, where he could be nearer to his mother.
