Michael Oher of ‘The Blind Side’ speaks out on lawsuit against the Tuohys

Aug 19

Jack Aylmer Energy Correspondent

By Jack Aylmer (Energy Correspondent), Mathew Grisham (Digital Producer), Mirlie Larose (Producer)

Former NFL star Michael Oher has broken his silence on the lawsuit he filed last year against Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy. The Tuohys were portrayed in the movie “The Blind Side.”

Oher, whose life was famously depicted in the 2009 film, accused the Tuohys of deceiving him into a conservatorship rather than adopting him, which gave them control over his finances and major life decisions. He also claims they unfairly profited from both the book and the movie, while leaving him out of the financial benefits.

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In a recent interview with The New York Times, Oher opened up about his heartbreak over the way the movie defined him. He pointed out that the movie portrayed him in a very unflattering light. Oher said it showed him as unintelligent and clueless, even when it came to football.

He revealed that this portrayal made NFL teams question whether he could even read a playbook. In reality, scouts recognized Oher for his talents before the Tuohys came into his life, a fact the film left out.

While the Tuohys argue that Oher received over $138,000 in proceeds from the book and movie, Oher alleged that the Touhys excluded him from the bulk of profits.

Oher said that while he shared fond memories of the family and went along with their narrative for years, he recently started to self-reflect. He said he wants to reclaim who he was before “The Blind Side.”

The Tuohys continue to deny Oher’s allegations and declined to comment on the recent interview.

Tags: Football, Lawsuit, Money, NFL, Sports, The New York Times

[Jack Aylmer]

FORMER NFL STAR MICHEAL OHER HAS BROKEN HIS SILENCE ON THE LAWSUIT HE FILED LAST YEAR AGAINST LEIGH ANNE AND SEAN TUOY, THE COUPLE WHO WERE PORTRAYED IN THE MOVIE “THE BLIND SIDE.”

OHER, WHOSE LIFE WAS FAMOUSLY DEPICTED IN THE 2009 FILM, HAS ACCUSED THE TUOHYS OF DECEIVING HIM INTO A CONSERVATORSHIP RATHER THAN ADOPTING HIM, WHICH GAVE THEM CONTROL OVER HIS FINANCES AND MAJOR LIFE DECISIONS. HE ALSO CLAIMS THEY UNFAIRLY PROFIFTED FROM BOTH THE BOOK AND THE MOVIE WHILE LEAVING HIM OUT OF THE FINANCIAL BENEFITS.

IN A RECENT INTERVIEW WITH NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE, OHER OPENED UP ABOUT HIS HEARTBREAK OVER THE WAY THE MOVIE DEFINED HIM. POINTING OUT THAT THE MOVIE PORTRAYED HIM IN A VERY UNFLATTERING LIGHT, SHOWING HIM AS UNINTELLIGENT AND CLUELESS, EVEN WHEN IT CAME TO FOOTBALL. HE REVEALED THAT THIS PORTRAYAL MADE NFL TEAMS QUESTION WHETHER HE COULD EVEN READ A PLAYBOOK. HOWEVER, THE REALITY IS QUITE DIFFERENT. OHER WAS ALREADY RECOGNIZED FOR HIS TALENT BEFORE THE TUOHYS CAME INTO HIS LIFE, SOMETHING THE FILM LEFT OUT.

WHILE TUOHYS ARGUE THAT OHER RECEIVED OVER $138,000 IN PROCEEDS FROM THE BOOK AND MOVIE, HE ALLEGED THAT HE WAS EXCLUDED FROM THE BULK OF PROFITS.

OHER SAYS HE SHARED FOND MEMORIES OF THE FAMILY BUT ADMITTED THAT HE WENT ALONG WITH THEIR NARRATIVE FOR YEARS, WHILE FOCUSING ON HIS NFL CAREER. BUT HAS RECENTLY ENTERED A PHASE OF SELF- REFLECTION, TRYING TO RECLAIM THE PERSON HE WAS BEFORE ‘THE BLIND SIDE.’

AS FOR THE TUOHYS, THEY’VE CONTINUED TO DENY THE ALLEGATIONS MADE BY OHER AND HAVE DECLINED TO COMMENT ON HIS MOST RECENT INTERVIEW.

WE’LL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS LEGAL BATTLE AS IT UNFOLDS AND YOU CAN TOO. DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP – AND SIGN UP FOR NEWS UPDATES SO YOU NEVER MISS A STORY.