Additional Coverage:
In a recent interview with The New York Times Magazine, Michael Oher discussed his legal battle against the Tuohy family, who took him in during his teenage years. This relationship was famously portrayed in the 2009 film “The Blind Side.”
Oher expressed how the early declarations of love he received from Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy made him emotionally vulnerable. He explained, “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.”
Regarding the racial dynamics he perceived, Oher commented, “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.”
Filed in August 2023, Oher’s lawsuit claims the Tuohys took advantage of him, mismanaging his finances and profiting from his life story without his informed consent. He thought he had signed adoption papers, only to discover years later that he had agreed to a conservatorship that placed his financial decisions in the Tuohys’ hands. This sharply contrasted with the adoption narrative popularized by both the book “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game” and its subsequent film adaptation.
Oher also believes the portrayal of him as intellectually slow in these narratives harmed his draft position with the Baltimore Ravens, impacting his salary potential. “The NFL people were wondering if I could read a playbook,” he recalled.
Despite his initial reluctance, Oher watched “The Blind Side” with a Ravens team chaplain and two teammates. He found the film more comedic and detached from his reality, not recognizing its portrayal of him as his own. This misrepresentation, he said, has followed him in social media and press, affecting how he is perceived.
Concerned for how this depiction might impact his children, Oher remarked on the potential for misjudgments regarding their intelligence based on his portrayed image.
Oher won a Super Bowl during his NFL career, which spanned three teams. He asserts that his lawsuit is not about money, as he has secured his financial future, but about reclaiming his narrative.
Regarding delays in filing the lawsuit, Oher mentioned his complete focus on his professional career, but now feels it’s time to address these issues.
His lawyer, Don Barrett, noted the positive reception to the NYT Magazine article from readers. The Tuohys have defended their actions, affirming there was never an intent for a formal adoption and have refuted any allegations of financial impropriety following the dissolution of the nearly 20-year conservatorship in September 2023. The Tuohys have also claimed that Oher threatened them with extortion for money.