Michael Oher, who inspired 'The Blind Side,' opens up about lawsuit against Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy (2024)

Michael Oher is opening up about his ongoing legal proceedings against Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy.

The former NFL player explained in an Aug. 18 interview with The New York Times why it took him several years to file the lawsuit against the Tuohys, whose relationship with Oher inspired the 2009 movie “The Blind Side," and was also featured in the 2006 Michael Lewis book "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game."

In the lawsuit, Oher sought to end the Tuohys’ conservatorship and to stop them from using his name, image and likeness.

“Pro football’s a hard job,” Oher said. “You have to be locked in 100%. I went along with their narrative because I really had to focus on my NFL career, not things off the field.”

Oher spent five seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, one season with the Tennessee Titans, and two seasons with the Carolina Panthers before his NFL career ended in 2016.

He opened up about how seeing a fictionalized version of his life play out in “The Blind Side” affected him emotionally.

“For a long time, I was so angry mentally,” he told The New York Times. “With what I was going through. I want to be the person I was before ‘The Blind Side,’ personality-wise. I’m still working on it.”

Oher, 38, filed a court petition against the Tuohys in August 2023, in which he claimed that the couple had exploited his story for financial gain.

He also alleged that the Tuohys never legally adopted him, despite presenting themselves as his adoptive parents over the years.

In his lawsuit, the former Baltimore Ravens tackle said the Tuohys duped him into believing he was signing adoption papers when he was 18, when in reality he was entering into a legal conservatorship that gave the Tuohys control over his business affairs.

His court petition alleged that 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.”

Oher, in a statement to NBC News at the time, said, “I am disheartened by the revelation shared in the lawsuit today. This is a difficult situation for my family and me. I want to ask everyone to please respect our privacy at this time. For now, I will let the lawsuit speak for itself and will offer no further comment.”

The Tuohy family has disputed the allegations in Oher’s lawsuit.

“Anyone with a modicum of common sense can see that the outlandish claims made by Michael Oher about the Tuohy family are hurtful and absurd,” an attorney for Leigh Anne and Sean Thuoy, Marty Singer, said in a statement shared with TODAY.com in August 2023. “The idea that the Tuohys have ever sought to profit off Mr. Oher is not only offensive, it is transparently ridiculous.”

The attorney’s statement also called Oher’s lawsuit a “shakedown,” and challenged Oher’s claim that he had been deceived into entering into a conservatorship.

“In spite of the false allegation in the lawsuit, the Tuohys have always been upfront about how a conservatorship (from which not one penny was received) was established to assist with Mr. Oher’s needs, ranging from getting him health insurance and obtaining a driver’s license to helping with college admissions,” Singer said in his statement.

In a September 2023 court filing, the Tuohys said there was “never an intent” to adopt Oher. They also “vehemently” denied that they told the Oher “that they intended to legally adopt him.”

“Clearly, the Respondents loved the Petitioner and as a result provided him with shelter, food, and clothing and in fact bought him more than one vehicle for his personal use,” the filing said. “In fact, they have always felt that the Petitioner was like a son and have used that on occasion but not in a legal sense.”

In September 2023, a Tennessee judge ruled to terminate the conservatorship agreement, which Oher had entered into in 2004.

In his recent interview with The New York Times, Oher denied that he had filed the lawsuit because he needed money.

“I worked hard for that moment when I was done playing, and saved my money so I could enjoy the time,” he said, adding, “I’ve got millions of dollars. I’m fine.”

The original petition said Oher made no money off the film, which was released after he completed his college career and would not have affected his NCAA eligibility.

The Tuohys, in November 2023, filed a petition saying Oher texted them saying he was “robbed” of his share of the movie’s proceeds. A statement of accounting also filed by the family in November 2023 shows the proceeds split five ways, with Oher and the Tuohys receiving $138,309.90.

Of the texts sent to the Tuohys, Oher told the New York Times, “I was just still trying to figure things out,” he said. “I didn’t think anything of it.” Oher denies receiving royalty checks.

He also shared his frustration with how “The Blind Side” portrayed his character, saying the movie made him appear “dumb” or “stupid.”

“It’s hard to describe my reaction,” he told The New York Times about the first time he saw the film. “It seemed kind of funny to me, to tell you the truth, like it was a comedy about someone else. It didn’t register. But social media was just starting to grow, and I started seeing stuff that I’m dumb. I’m stupid. Every article about me mentioned ‘The Blind Side,’ like it was part of my name.”

He added that he worries about how his portrayal on screen might perceive the way people view his sons and daughters, whom he shares with wife Tiffany Roy.

“If my kids can’t do something in class, will their teacher think, Their dad is dumb — is that why they’re not getting it?” he said.

Oher opened up about the complexities of his feelings toward the Tuohys. While their relationship has grown contentious, Oher also holds positive memories about how the family helped him when he was younger.

“Honestly, it was great. I had a bed to stay on. I was eating good. They got me a truck,” he said of the time he spent with the Tuohys as a teenager.

He reflected on how his bond with the Tuohys shifted over time.

“The first time I heard ‘I love you,’ it was Sean and Leigh Anne saying it,” he said. “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.”

The lawsuit is ongoing.