Michael Oher, Inspiration Behind ‘The Blind Side,’ Speaks Out On Lawsuit Against Tuohy Family

Michael Oher, Inspiration Behind ‘The Blind Side,’ Speaks Out On Lawsuit Against Tuohy Family

Retired NFL player Michael Oher is ready to address his ongoing lawsuit against the people who raised him. As previously reported, a year ago Michael Oher shocked many by filing a lawsuit against his guardians Leigh Ann and Sean Tuohy.

Per the suit, they lied about adopting Oher, and instead, unbeknown to the athlete, the Tuohys placed him under a conservatorship. Due to the conservatorship, they were allegedly able to box Michael Oher out of making any money from the box office hit inspired by his life’s story, The Blind Side. It’s also alleged that while keeping profits away from Oher, the Tuohys’ and their biological children “collectively received millions of dollars” in royalties from the project.

Oher addressed his allegations for the first time in a newly published interview. Speaking on how the Tuohys took advantage of him, he said,

“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.”

Oher continued after a pause,

“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.”

Michael Oher

According to Oher, Sean and Leigh Ann had a hand in the stereotypical ways The Blind Side portrayed him and his time with their family. While he noted things with the Tuohys in real life were “great,” the film made him seem “dumb” and “stupid,” which “defined” him before he even went pro.

“The NFL people were wondering if I could read a playbook.”

Oher continued, speaking on how he felt after he watched the movie for the first time,

“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.”

Unfortunately, the reported lies of the movie still worry Oher today. He shared,

“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?’”

Michael Oher

Thankfully, soon after filing his lawsuit, a judge ruled to dissolve the conservatorship Oher was legally still under at 37 years old. The rest of his lawsuit is ongoing.

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[VIA]