‘The Blind Side’ subject and NFL star Michael Oher alleges Tuohy family never adopted him

The Academy-Award winning film “The Blind Side” (2009) chronicled the story of how Michael Oher went from being a homeless teenager to a NFL draft pick after the Tuohy family took him into their home.

Now, over a decade later, Oher filed a petition alleging Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy never adopted him, according to ESPN.

“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 petition says, according to ESPN.

“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 says, per ESPN.

A conservatorship grants a person legal responsibility for someone else — that legal responsibility can include managing another person’s financial affairs, Jordan Tarver wrote for Forbes.

“The petition further alleges that the Tuohys used their power as conservators to strike a deal that paid them and their two birth children millions of dollars in royalties from an Oscar-winning film that earned more than $300 million, while Oher got nothing for a story ‘that would not have existed without him,’” Michael A. Fletcher reported for ESPN.

The Tuohy family did not immediately return ESPN’s request for comment.

The petition seeks to end the Tuohys’ conservatorship, prevent the Tuohys from using Oher’s name and likeness and requests reimbursement from film profits, John Macon Gillespie reported for Sports Illustrated.

Reportedly, Oher wrote in his 2011 memoir “I Beat the Odds” that the Tuohys had said the conservatorship was similar to adoption. “They explained to me that it means pretty much the exact same thing as ‘adoptive parents’, but that the laws were just written in a way that took my age into account,” he wrote, per The Guardian.

“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, according to the New York Post. “All monies made in said manner should in all conscience and equity be disgorged and paid over to the said ward, Michael Oher.”

What is the ‘The Blind Side’?

“The Blind Side” is a 2009 film based on an eponymous 2006 book written by Michael Lewis.

After its release, Sandra Bullock (who played Leigh Anne Tuohy) won an Academy Award for best actress and the film was nominated for best picture.

The film details Oher’s experiences with foster care, poverty and his mother’s addiction to drugs. After Oher forms a friendship with Sean Tuohy Jr. (called SJ in the film), the Tuohy family learns that he’s homeless and takes him in.

As a NCAA investigator works to determine if the Tuohys took Oher in to influence him to play for Ole Miss, Oher also questions the Tuohy’s motivations. Ultimately, Oher decides to attend Ole Miss, is shown as having a close relationship with the Tuohys and the film concludes with a montage of photos and videos of Oher and the Tuohys in real life.

What has Michael Oher said about ‘The Blind Side’?

Oher has previously critiqued “The Blind Side” for its portrayal of him. He said he had studied the game of football since he was a kid.

“I felt like it portrayed me as dumb instead of as a kid who had never had consistent academic instruction and ended up thriving once he got it,” Oher wrote, per NPR. “Quinton Aaron did a great job acting the part, but I could not figure out why the director chose to show me as someone who had to be taught the game of football.”

What NFL teams did Michael Oher play for?

After Oher played college football at University of Mississippi, he played for the Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers.