PITTSBURGH — The mood was light at first. On the night of April 24th, inside the Steelers’ media room, a group of reporters — myself among them — crowded around a speakerphone. The organization’s first-round pick, Derrick Harmony, was on the other end. The usual questions came quickly: How does it feel? Where were you when you got the call? What will you bring to Pittsburgh?

 

Harmony responded with poise, gratitude, and the sort of excitement you’d expect from a young man realizing his NFL dream. But then, in a quiet, unexpected moment, he mentioned something that shifted the entire tone.

 

His mother was on life support.

 

“It’s a little bittersweet,” Harmony said. “My mom wasn’t with me. She’s at the hospital right now on life support, so that was a little bittersweet, man, because she worked as hard just for me to get to this moment. But it was a once in a lifetime experience. I’m very excited.”

 

The room fell silent. There’s no guide for how to respond when triumph and tragedy occupy the same breath. The dream of hearing his name called in the first round had come true — but so too had a looming heartbreak. Not long after that call, Harmony’s mother, Tiffany Saine, passed away.

 

In that moment, Harmony wasn’t just a draft pick. He was a son, navigating the surreal intersection of joy and grief — a young man celebrating the future while carrying the weight of profound loss.