NFL
Michael Oher’s ex-coach weighs in on ‘The Blind Side’ dispute
Michael Oher’s former high school coach weighs in on “sad” situation with Tuohys, saying he “witnessed a family that totally took in a young man and I think without that, there is no story.”
Michael Oher’s previous coach, Hugh Freeze, offered his perspective on the legal conflict involving the ex-NFL player and Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy.
This Monday, Oher filed a formal request asserting that the Tuohy family did not complete a lawful adoption of him, instead deceiving him into designating them as his conservators. Oher further alleged that the Tuohy family profited significantly from his life narrative, portrayed in the movie ‘The Blind Side.’
The Tuohy family has since denied Oher’s claims, and now it seems are seeking to put the entire issue to bed.
Related: The Tuohy family seeks to end conservatorship of Michael Oher. What do we know?
Freeze, who coached Oher while he was a student at Memphis’ Briarcest Christian School and during his time with the Ole Miss Rebels, said he thinks the whole situation is “sad.”
I certainly don’t claim to understand all the ins and outs of adoption, conservatory, all of that. I know what I witnessed. I witnessed a family that totally took in a young man, and I think without that, there is no story,” said Freeze, according to sources.
Oher’s ex-coach on Tuohy’s situation: “The facts will come out”
The head coach continued, “I know this: If Michael called Sean right now and said let’s work this thing out, Sean and Leigh Anne would be there in a hurry to hug his neck and tell him he’s loved.
I hope he feels that. Until you walk in people’s shoes, I don’t claim to have all the answers to anything, but I think whatever happens will happen. The facts will come out.”
Freeze is also a longtime friend of Sean’s, who was a supporter of Ole Miss. The 53-year-old expressed his empathy for both sides involved in the legal dispute. “Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy did something that probably most families, a lot of us talk about doing things. They actually put the shoes on and pulled the boots up and got in the arena and did something, and I think that’s admirable,” Freeze said on Thursday, per reports.
Related: How much did Sandra Bullock make for her Oscar-winning role in ‘The Blind Side’?
Was the coach’s character depicted well in ‘The Blind Side?’
Freeze’s connection with Oher was portrayed in the movie through Coach Cotton’s character, played by actor Ray McKinnon.
The current head coach at Auburn University conveyed he had mixed feelings about his depiction in the film, “I sure hope I’m not as goofy as this guy — that was my reaction,” he said in an interview. “I don’t think I needed so much guidance in coaching, but at the end of the day the movie is about a young man who receives a chance and a family who puts their faith into action. It changed a person’s trajectory in life. At the end of the day, that’s what I want my coaching to be about.”
In 2017, the Auburn coach faced a public scandal when USA Today revealed that Freeze had engaged with female escorts through an Ole Miss University phone. Following the exposure of this allegation, he announced his resignation.
According to the same sources, an internal investigation conducted by the university determined that Freeze had displayed “a consistent pattern of inappropriate behavior” during his tenure at Ole Miss.