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Michael Oher #74 of the Ole Miss Rebels stands with his family during senior ceremonies prior to a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on November 28, 2008 in Oxford, Mississippi© Getty Images

The Blind Side's Michael Oher claims Tuohys tricked him into conservatorship, denied millions

The 2009 movie starred Sandra Bullock and won her the Academy Award for Best Actress

Ahad Sanwari
Ahad Sanwari - New York
Senior WriterNew York
August 14, 2023
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Michael Oher, a former NFL star whose childhood and rise to fame inspired the book (and subsequent movie) The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, is alleging that his life story was based on a lie.

As told in the 2006 book, written by Michael Lewis, couple Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy took in Oher when he was a teenager as he bounced around the foster care system. They brought him into their family and adopted him, all while he found his footing in football. This led him to a career in collegiate football at the University of Mississippi and a successful NFL career.

Now, the retired athlete, aged 37, is claiming that he was never really adopted by the Tuohys and he never got to see the monetary success of the book and the Oscar-winning film.

VIDEO: 'The Blind Side': Exclusive featurette with Sandra Bullock

According to ESPN, Michael petitioned a Tennessee court on Monday that the central narrative of the famed story was a lie and was created to profit off him.

He claims that the Tuohys had tricked Michael three months after he turned 18 in 2004 into signing legal documents that would make them his conservators, thereby allowing them to make business decisions in his name.

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The petition also states that Sean and Leigh Anne and their two birth children profited off of the immense success of the movie thanks to a $225,000 flat fee and a percentage of the revenue. He alleges that the deal denied him millions, since he received nothing from the movie's $300 million gross.

Offensive lineman Michael Oher #74 of the Baltimore Ravens seen during minicamp at the practice facility on May 8, 2009 in Owings Mills, Maryland© Getty Images
Michael claims the Tuohys tricked him into a conservatorship instead of legally adopting him

The 2009 film was directed by John Lee Hancock and Quinton Aaron as Michael, Tim McGraw as Sean, and Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne. The film was a smash at the box office and received a generally positive response from critics, earning a Best Picture nod at the Academy Awards and winning Sandra her first and only Oscar.

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The legal filing states: "The lie of Michael's adoption is one upon which Co-Conservators Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy have enriched themselves at the expense of their Ward, the undersigned Michael Oher.

Actress Kim Dickens, Sean Tuohy Jr., Leigh Anne Tuohy, director John Lee Hancock, actor Quinton Aaron, actor Jae Head, actress Sandra Bullock, actor/musician Tim McGraw, actress Lily Collins, Collins Tuohy and Sean Tuohy  attend "The Blind Side" premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre on November 17, 2009 in New York City© Getty Images
His petition alleges their deal denied him the millions the family made off the success of the 2009 movie

"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."

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The petition asks for Michael's conservatorship to be terminated and a ruling to bar the Tuohys from using his name and likeness in the future, as well as the compensation of all the profits he was thereby owed.

The family the film is based on Collins Tuohy, Sean Tuohy Jr. Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy  attend "The Blind Side" premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre on November 17, 2009 in New York City© Getty Images
The Tuohy family received a flat fee and percentage of the movie's profits

"Since at least August of 2004, Conservators have allowed Michael, specifically, and the public, generally, to believe that Conservators adopted Michael and have used that untruth to gain financial advantages for themselves and the foundations which they own or which they exercise control.

"All monies made in said manner should in all conscience and equity be disgorged and paid over to the said ward, Michael Oher."

Actress Sandra Bullock with American professional football player Michael Oher's adoptive parent Leigh Anne Tuohy attend "The Blind Side" benefit premiere at the Prytania Theatre on November 19, 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana© Getty Images
Sandra Bullock played Leigh Anne in the movie, a role which won her an Oscar

The Tuohys, who have referred to Michael as their "adopted son" all this time, have not responded to the allegations as of writing.

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