Michael Oher (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Former NFL tackle Michael Oher has shared his feelings about the movie ‘The Blind Side,’ which was inspired by his life, amid the ongoing drama with his adopted family.
Oher is not at all happy with the way he was portrayed in the film. He believes it made him seem dimwitted, although he went on to have a productive NFL career.
The former Ole Miss player was a first-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft and remained in the league until 2016, winning a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens.
Still, he reckons the film that told his life story negatively impacted him.
“The N.F.L. people were wondering if I could read a playbook,” he said in an interview with the New York Times.
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Michael Oher Saw “Dumb” Everywhere
Oher, who previously filed a lawsuit against Sean and Leigh-Anne Tuohy, says he refused to watch the movie but was eventually convinced by a teammate.
“It’s hard to describe my reaction,” he remarked. “It seemed kind of funny to me, to tell you the truth, like it was a comedy about someone else. It didn’t register. But social media was just starting to grow, and 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?”
Michael Oher’s lawsuit against the Tuohy family is still ongoing.
Last year, a judge ended the conservatorship he signed with them in high school. But he believes that a lot of money was kept from him while the family profited tremendously off his name.
REPORT: Michael Oher & Tuohy Family Received Equal Payments For “The Blind Side” According To Attorney
Former NFL star offensive lineman Michael Oher has been in the news aplenty this week following reports that he’s suing Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy for “tricking” him into signing a document that made them conservators.
Per ESPN’s Michael A. Fletcher, Oher filed a 14-page petition in Shelby County, Tennessee, which accuses the Tuohy family of tricking him into handing over conservatorship to them so they could make money off of him:
“The 14-page petition, filed in Shelby County, Tennessee, probate court, alleges that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, who took Oher into their home as a high school student, never adopted him. Instead, less than three months after Oher turned 18 in 2004, the petition says, the couple tricked him into signing a document making them his conservators, which gave them legal authority to make business deals in his name.
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.” In the years since, the Tuohys have continued calling the 37-year-old Oher their adopted son and have used that assertion to promote their foundation as well as Leigh Anne Tuohy’s work as an author and motivational speaker.”
Oher was a key focus in Michael Lewis’ 2006 book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game. The 2009 blockbuster film, The Blind Side, was based off of Lewis’ book. It starred Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy, Tim McGraw as Sean Tuohy and Quinton Aaron as Oher.
Via Fletcher, it was also noted in the petition that Oher didn’t collect “any payment whatsoever” on the film. However, attorneys for the Tuohys claim that the family members as well as Oher each received $100,000, via Jason Munz of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
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Oher played college football at Ole Miss and was drafted 23rd overall by the Ravens in 2009. He spent his first five NFL seasons with the organization, helping them win a Super Bowl 47 championship in the 2012 season.
Oher went on to play one season for the Tennessee Titans in 2014 before joining the Carolina Panthers, where he spent his final two seasons (2015 and 2016).
