The Blind Side author responds to Michael Oher lawsuit, says Hollywood is to blame for lack of profits

Michael Lewis, the author of the best-selling book that inspired the Oscar-winning sports drama The Blind Side, is responding to former NFL player Michael Oher's allegations that the wealthy family who took him in as a teen dishonestly cashed in on his life story.

In an interview with The Washington Post published Thursday, Lewis contended that Oher should blame Hollywood rather than Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy over allegations that he didn't receive profits from the movie.

"Everybody should be mad at the Hollywood studio system," Lewis said. "Michael Oher should join the writers' strike. It's outrageous how Hollywood accounting works, but the money is not in the Tuohys' pockets."

Jason Merritt/Getty Images Michael Lewis

Lewis' book and the 2009 movie tell the story of Oher, an unhoused Black teenager who grew up in poverty before being taken in by the white Tuohys. He soon realizes his potential as a student and athlete, becoming a football star at the University of Mississippi and ultimately joining the Baltimore Ravens. Quinton Aaron played Oher in the film, Tim McGraw portrayed Sean Tuohy, and Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for her performance as Leigh Anne Tuohy.

In a petition filed Monday in Tennessee court, however, Oher alleged that the Tuohys never adopted him but instead tricked him into a conservatorship to obtain legal authority to make business deals in his name. Oher also claimed the Tuohys and their two birth children each received $225,000 plus 2.5% of the movie's net proceeds, while he received nothing. The Blind Side film, which earned a Best Picture nomination at the 2010 Academy Awards, grossed more than $300 million at the worldwide box office.

Oher is asking for a termination of the conservatorship and to bar the family from using his name and likeness, as well as an accounting of profits the family earned while "exploiting" his name.

Everett Collection Quinton Aaron and Sandra Bullock in 'The Blind Side'

The Tuohys' attorneys Randall Fishman and Martin Singer have denied Oher's allegations, with Fishman claiming that the retired NFL player received "every dime" and Singer calling the allegations a "shakedown effort."

According to Lewis, who was a childhood friend of Sean Tuohy's, he and the Tuohys received around $350,000 each from movie profits after agent fees and taxes. He claimed that the Tuohys planned to share royalties among the family members, including Oher, but Oher declined them. Lewis said he thinks the Tuohys had deposited Oher's share into a trust fund for his son.

"What I feel really sad about is I watched the whole thing up close," Lewis said. "They showered him with resources and love. That he's suspicious of them is breathtaking. The state of mind one has to be in to do that — I feel sad for him."

Oher's attorney Don Barrett provided the following statement to EW when reached for comment on Lewis' remarks: "We try cases in the courtroom based on the facts. We have confidence in our judicial system and in our client Michael Oher. We believe that justice will be served in the courtroom, and we hope to get there quickly."

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Related content:

• The Blind Side subject Sean Tuohy calls Michael Oher's fake adoption allegations 'insulting'

• The Blind Side star Quinton Aaron defends Sandra Bullock amid 'heartbreaking' Tuohy family legal battle

• Who played who in The Blind Side: See the cast and their real-life counterparts