NFL's Michael Oher Calls Adoption That Inspired ‘The Blind Side’ a ‘Lie'
Former Baltimore Ravens lineman Michael Oher alleges his adoption–which inspired the blockbuster film The Blind Side starring Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw and Quinton Aaron–is "a lie."
Oher filed a 14-page petition with the Shelby County, Tennessee, probate court claiming that the couple that took him in, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, fabricated the story of adopting him for the sole purpose of monetary gain.
Instead of adopting him, Oher is prepared to argue that the couple tricked him into signing a document that made them his conservators and allowed them to do business in his name and strike a massive movie deal weeks after he turned 18.
"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 explained, according to Sports Illustrated. "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."
In his 2011 best-selling memoir, I Beat the Odds, Oher shared his account of the situation as it was unfolding, writing that the Tuohys equated the conservatorship 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."
Though both are legal filings, there are distinct differences. Had Oher been adopted, he would have been a legal member of the Tuohys family and kept the authority to handle his own financial or business dealings. Under the conservatorship, Oher appointed the Tuohys as the legal authority figures over his affairs, despite having no known limitations that would prevent his ability to make the decisions for himself, which is what typically encourages the courts to draw a conservatorship.
Oher's petition seeks to end the conservatorship and issue an injunction preventing the Tuohys from using Oher's name and likeness for any purpose. The official filing also asks the couple to pay Oher for his share of the money earned from the Oscar-winning film–which grossed over $300 million at the box office alone–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 continued. "All monies made in said manner should in all conscience and equity be disgorged and paid over to the said ward, Michael Oher."
While the Tuohys, who also share two biological children, haven't publicly responded to the petition, in their 2010 book, In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving, the couple claimed to have only been paid a flat fee for the movie and said they shared the earnings with Oher, "We divided it five ways."
Oher's attorney denied the family's statement from the book, telling ESPN that the former NFL star never received any money from the movie–which premiered the same year he joined the league–but felt family members were profiting from it. His attorney also suggested that the petition has been years in the making, explaining that Oher hired him to look into his adoptive family after retiring in 2016 and that the conservatorship documents weren't discovered until Feb. 2023.