Tuohy Family responds to Michael Oher’s Lawsuit

Former NFL tackle Michael Oher, famously portrayed in the movie “The Blind Side,” has taken legal action by filing a lawsuit against the Tuohy family. Oher alleges that he was misled into believing they had adopted him when he had signed conservatorship documents.

The former NFL star’s claims include never receiving compensation from the highly successful movie, which garnered over $300 million in box office earnings. In response, the Tuohy family addressed these allegations stating that:

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

Related: Who is Leigh Anne Tuohy, Michael Oher’s tutor, played by Sandra Bullock in ‘The Blind Side’?

Did Michael Oher make money off ‘The Blind Side’?

Tuohy clarified that Oher did, indeed, receive an equitable share of the movie’s earnings, in contrast to what the lawsuit suggests.

“We didn’t make any money off the movie,” Sean Tuohy said. “Well, Michael Lewis gave us half of his share. Everybody in the family got an equal share, including Michael. It was about $14,000, each. . . . We were never offered money; we never asked for money. My money is well-documented; you can look up how much I sold my company for.”

Oher was never actually adopted, but for good reason?

Regarding the adoption claim, Tuohy explained that Oher was not formally adopted due to the legal constraints of Tennessee, which prohibits the adoption of individuals over 18. Instead, a conservatorship arrangement was pursued to assist Oher in pursuing his collegiate football career at Ole Miss.

“Michael was obviously living with us for a long time, and the NCAA didn’t like that,” Tuohy said. “They said the only way Michael could go to Ole Miss was if he was actually part of the family. I sat Michael down and told him, ‘If you’re planning to go to Ole Miss — or even considering Ole Miss — we think you have to be part of the family. This would do that, legally.’ We contacted lawyers who had told us that we couldn’t adopt over the age of 18. The only thing we could do was to have a conservatorship. We were so concerned it was on the up-and-up that we made sure the biological mother came to court.”

Related: The full story of Michael Oher

While determining the absolute truth remains complex, it’s evident that this situation has left lasting emotional scars on Oher. Additionally, Oher has expressed dissatisfaction with the portrayal of his character in the movie, citing concerns about it depicting him as uneducated.

The relationship between the Tuohy family and Oher seems to have reached a point of irreparable strain.