'Blind Side’ football player Oher alleges he was never adopted in lawsuit
Michael Oher, a former NFL player and main subject of the book and film “The Blind Side,” has alleged that he was never adopted by the family who helped made his life story into a blockbuster movie.
In a 26-page petition filed in Shelby County, Tenn., probate court, Oher asked the judge to end the conservatorship that he signed with Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy in 2004. He requested the court to prevent the Tuohys from using his name, image and likeness.
Oher’s request also includes the family paying him royalties from the 2009 Oscar-winning biographical film "The Blind Side." The movie depicts the life story of Oher, a high school student in foster care who gets adopted by the family as his football stardom grows.
Actress Sandra Bullock won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Leigh Anne in the film.
Oher’s attorneys said in the filing that their client was told to sign conservatorship papers that the family called an “a necessary step in the adoption process,” though the family didn’t legally adopt him. Oher, who was attending Briarcrest Christian School, was staying with various people before moving in with the Tuohy family.
“Where other parents of Michael’s classmates saw Michael simply as a nice kid in need, Conservators Sean Tuohy and Leigh Ann Tuohy saw something else: a gullible young man whose athletic talent could be exploited for their own benefit,” according to the petition filed Monday.
“Almost immediately after Michael moved in, the Tuohys presented him with what he understood to be legal papers that were a necessary step in the adoption process,” the petition added. “Michael trusted the Tuohys and signed where they told him to sign. What he signed, however, and unknown to Michael until after February of 2023, were not adoption papers, or the equivalent of adoption papers. Instead, it was the petition for appointment of conservators.”
The petition also said that the conservatorship gave the Tuohys control of any contracts Oher was negotiating at the time, adding that the couple negotiated a contract with 20th Century Fox based on Michael Lewis’s book “The Blind Side: Evolution of the Game,” which was based on Oher’s life, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported.
The Tuohys' contract with the film studio saw them receive a one-time payment of $225,000 plus 2.5 percent of all future proceeds from the movie for themselves and their two children, Collins and Sean Jr., according to the petition.
Oher, who would commit to the University of Mississippi, never received any financial compensation from the hit movie, the suit alleges.
The petition comes as Oher’s attorneys are also subpoenaing all documents and communications that involve Oher and the Tuohy family, including financial records of the family’s Making it Happen Foundation, the Commercial Appeal noted.
“I am disheartened by the revelation shared in the lawsuit today,” Oher said in a statement to The Hill. “This is a difficult situation for my family and me. I want to ask everyone to please respect our privacy at this time. For now, I will let the lawsuit speak for itself and will offer no further comment.”
Oher, who was a first-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2009 NFL Draft, spent eight seasons in the league, winning a Super Bowl with the team in 2012.
Updated at 5:30 pm.