Michael Oher Of 'The Blind Side' Fame Says Movie Was Based On A Lie

SHELBY COUNTY, TN — Former NFL tackle Michael Oher, whose life story inspired the movie “The Blind Side” and who spent five seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, filed a legal petition Monday in Tennessee alleging that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy never adopted him as they claimed and that the couple took advantage of him financially.

Oher has been under the conservatorship of the Tuohys since 2004, but he only learned of the arrangement this year, according to court documents, which say Oher is seeking to end the agreement and collect money that the couple made off the erroneous story that he was adopted.

“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 said.

Oher grew up in Memphis, where he became a ward of the state at 10 years old and at one point was living on the streets, according to the petition. He was given an opportunity to attend Briarcrest Christian School, where his exceptional athletic skills gained him football scholarship offers from universities across the country.

The Tuohys saw Oher as “a gullible young man whose athletic talent could be exploited for their own benefit,” according to legal documents. The summer before his senior year of high school, the couple asked the 18-year-old to sign papers that he believed were part of the adoption process, but that were actually a petition for appointment of conservators, court records said.

Under the conservatorship and unbeknownst to Oher, the athlete was unable to negotiate his own contracts or make medical and educational decisions independently, according to the petition filed Monday.

The Tuohys and their biological children received millions from “The Blind Side,” which grossed over $330 million in revenue, the petition said. Oher, however, “purportedly signed” a life story rights agreement with Fox for no payment, although the petition states Oher did not knowingly sign the document.

The movie was nominated for an Oscar, and Sandra Bullock won the Academy Award for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy.

Oher played for the Ravens from 2009 to 2013, then signed a four-year, $20 million deal with the Tennessee Titans. Reports said he had a disappointing season and was released after one year when he was injured. Oher finished his career with two years in Carolina.

The Bleacher Report’s Dan Carson said Oher battled public and NFL expectations after the movie’s depiction of his “other worldly blocking abilities.”

Sean Tuohy told the Daily Memphian his family was “devastated,” willing to end the conservatorship, and made far less off the movie than Oher’s petition alleged. He also told the website that the conservatorship was related to his own role as a booster for the University of Mississippi at a time when Oher was considering playing for the school.

“It’s upsetting to think we would make money off any of our children,” Tuohy said to the outlet. “But we’re going to love Michael at 37 just like we loved him at 16.”

Related: Former Raven Oher: 'Blind Side' Hurt NFL Career

The Associated Press contributed to this story.