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Former NFL star Michael Oher has publicly addressed the lawsuit he filed last year against Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy. In his legal action, Oher accused the Tuohys of misleading him into a conservatorship and profiting unfairly from the book and film “The Blind Side,” which depicted their relationship with him.
Michael Oher, the subject of the Sandra Bullock film “The Blind Side,” initiated a lawsuit against the Tuohys in August 2023.
Michael Oher filing a lawsuit against Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy
He accused the couple of profiting from his story and alleged that they misled him into signing documents that designated them as his conservators rather than adopting him as parents nearly twenty years ago.
The former Super Bowl champion spoke to The New York Times Magazine to address his high-profile lawsuit against Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy.
In his lawsuit, Oher claimed that the Tuohys made approximately $8 million by leveraging his name and likeness for speaking engagements and other events. He alleged in court that Sean and Leigh Anne falsely presented themselves as his adoptive parents to the public, a claim he says is untrue.
“The first time I heard ‘I love you,’ it was Sean and Leigh Anne saying it,” said Oher.
“When that happens at 18, you become vulnerable. You let your guard down and then you get everything stripped from you. It turns into a hurt feeling,” he continued.
The Blind Side changing people's perception of Michael Oher
Michael Oher stated that The Blind Side has harmed the public’s perception of him. Released in 2009 as he was starting his NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens, the film led many people to question his intelligence, according to Oher.
“The NFL people were wondering if I could read a playbook,” he said.
Oher mentioned that the movie came out only a few months after he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens and he believes that the book's portrayal negatively affected his draft position.
“I don’t want to make this about race, but what I found out was that nobody says ‘I love you’ more than coaches and white people. When Black people say it, they mean it,” he continued.
Michael Oher's time with the Tuohys
However, Tuohys argue that they never planned to legally adopt Oher and that describing him as their adopted son was simply a figure of speech. They also contend that Oher is attempting to extort $15 million from them, alleging that he has threatened to harm their public image unless they pay him.
In September of the previous year, Shelby County Probate Court Judge Kathleen Gomes ended the conservatorship that had been in place over Michael Oher's finances since he was 18.
The Tuohys, both in real life and as depicted in “The Blind Side,” assisted Oher in getting his driver’s license, purchasing a car, and securing tutoring to qualify for college football. Before moving in with the Tuohy family at 18, Oher had spent time in foster care, shelters, and was occasionally homeless.
Despite his complaints about the Tuohys allegedly exploiting his image, Oher spoke positively about his experiences with them and recognized that some might see his actions as ungrateful. He admitted that he accepted the family's narrative for years because he was primarily focused on his NFL career.
Oher had a five-season career with the Baltimore Ravens, where he secured a Super Bowl victory in 2013, and also played for the Tennessee Titans and the Carolina Panthers before retiring in 2017. He shared that he is currently working on reconnecting with his identity prior to the film “The Blind Side.”
