Michael Oher, the NFL superstar and inspiration for the Oscar-nominated movie The Blind Side, has finally spoken out about the controversial lawsuit he filed against the Tuohy family.
The Blind Side quickly skyrocketed its way onto the list of best sports movies when it was released in 2009. The tale of a young, talented football player who was adopted by a wealthy white family seemed to touch audiences around the world and is still a Netflix hit today.
But award and steaming service success aside, the real-life figures involved became embroiled in a scandal in 2023 when it was revealed that Oher was filing a lawsuit against the Tuohys, alleging that they had tricked him into signing a conservatorship agreement.
As he claims, the conservatorship allowed the family to make business deals in his name and earn millions of dollars in royalties from The Blind Side.
The agreement was terminated by a judge in September 2023, and almost one year later, Oher has finally spoken out about the lawsuit and his negative reaction to the film.
Speaking to The New York Times Magazine, Oher shared his experience of growing up with the Tuohy’s, saying: “The first time I heard ‘I love you,’ it was Sean and Leigh Anne [Tuohy] saying it.
“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.”
When it came to first moving in with the Tuohys and becoming a member of their family, Oher says that, at first, “Honestly, it was great. I had a bed to stay on. I was eating good. They got me a truck.”
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However, the release of The Blind Side coincided with Oher’s growing NFL career. The timing is something Oher feels negatively about, saying: “That’s my heartbreak right there… it was as soon as I got there, I was defined.”
Oher didn’t attend the movie’s premiere in 2009, opting to watch it around a month after it was released instead. Oher said of his first viewing: “It’s hard to describe my reaction. It seemed kind of funny to me, to tell you the truth, like it was a comedy about someone else. It didn’t register.”
Oher has spoken in the past about The Blind Side and its portrayal of him, maintaining that the biggest insult of the movie comes from how it depicts Oher’s intelligence. In the film, he’s shown as having poor reading and writing skills, a trait that he worries has carried over into real life.
“The NFL people were wondering if I could read a playbook,” he said. “I started seeing stuff that I’m dumb. I’m stupid. Every article about me mentioned The Blind Side, like it was part of my name. If my kids can’t do something in class, will their teacher think, ‘Their dad is dumb — is that why they’re not getting it?’”
As for why Oher didn’t file the lawsuit sooner, he said: “Pro football’s a hard job. You have to be locked in 100 percent. I went along with their narrative because I really had to focus on my NFL career, not things off the field.
“I want to be the person I was before The Blind Side, personality-wise,” he added. “I’m still working on it.”
For more, take a look at all the new true crime and documentaries to watch this month. You can also learn all about the real-life deaths from The Iron Claw and find out the true story featured in Swamp Kings.
