'Blind Side' is a Lie!' Ravens Ex Michael Oher Sues 'Adoptive Family'
The story of former Baltimore Ravens lineman Michael Oher is one so wonderful that even Hollywood couldn't refuse it. Or is it?
The now-retired NFL star, whose supposed adoption out of homelessness and poverty by a wealthy family was the basis for the 2009 film "The Blind Side," is now filing a petition with a Tennessee court claiming the whole premise was merely a fabrication by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy for the purpose of monetary gain.
The petition alleges that the adoption of Oher as a high school student by the Tuohys never actually happened. Instead, the Tuohys tricked Oher to sign documents making them his conservators after he turned 18 that allowed the couple to have the legal authority to make business deals and decisions in his name.
Also detailed in the petition is the allegation that the Tuohys used that legal power to make the deal for the Oscar-winning film that garnered the couple and their two birth children more than $300 million, while Oher himself received nothing in exchange for his own story.
In the years that followed, the Tuohys have continued to describe Oher as their adopted son and used that connection to promote their foundation as well as Leigh Anne Tuohy's work as a motivational speaker.
"The lie of Michael's adoption is one upon which Co-Conservators Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy have enriched themselves at the expense of their Ward, the undersigned Michael Oher," the legal filing says. "Michael Oher discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the Conservatorship to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys."
The petition is asking to end the conservatorship and issue an injunction preventing the Tuohys from using Oher's name and likeness for any purpose, as well as for the couple to pay Oher for his share of the money gained from the movie and other business ventures.
"Since at least August of 2004, Conservators have allowed Michael, specifically, and the public, generally, to believe that Conservators adopted Michael and have used that untruth to gain financial advantages for themselves and the foundations which they own or which they exercise control," the petition says. "All monies made in said manner should in all conscience and equity be disgorged and paid over to the said ward, Michael Oher."
In the past, the Tuohys have denied making much money from the movie, saying they received a flat fee for the story and did not reap any of the movie's profits. And what they did earn, they added, was shared with Oher.
"We divided it five ways," the Tuohys wrote in their 2010 book, "In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving."
For all these years, Oher stated he was content with the arrangement, saying that the inspirational message outweighed the pain caused by what he says was an inaccurate depiction of his life. But now, he wants the truth known.
"There has been so much created from The Blind Side that I am grateful for, which is why you might find it as a shock that the experience surrounding the story has also been a large source of some of my deepest hurt and pain over the past 14 years," Oher wrote in his book "When Your Back's Against the Wall," released last week.
"Beyond the details of the deal, the politics, and the money behind the book and movie, it was the principle of the choices some people made that cut me the deepest."
Follow Timm 'IndyCarTim' Hamm on Twitter and Instagram
Listen to the Baltimore Ravens Daily Blitz Podcast
Follow Raven Country on Twitter
Check-in at FanStreamSports.com for all your favorite daily sports podcasts and entertainment.
Ravens Alert! Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Baltimore Ravens?
