Sean Tuohy, whose family took in Michael Oher before his successful careers at both the University of Mississippi and in the NFL, called allegations the offensive tackle was taken advantage of “insulting” in a new interview.
Oher’s rags-to-riches story was brought to people nationwide through the successful 2009 film “The Blind Side.”
The story portrays the Tuohy family, who are white and wealthy, as a caring group that welcomed a then-homeless black teen into their home.
With encouragement from the family, Oher played for the Ole Miss Rebels before he later won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013.
The rest is history — or it was until this week when the 37-year-old filed a lawsuit in Tennessee in which he claimed the family never adopted him and took advantage of him.
Oher said in a 14-page court filing that the family never actually adopted him but instead had him sign a conservatorship that left him out of the film’s royalties, ESPN reported.
“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,” an attorney for Oher argued.
His lawsuit further alleges, “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.”
Oher also said the couple’s biological children have profited from his story while he made no money from “The Blind Side.”
Sean Tuohy disputed Oher’s recounting of the events of him joining the family in a Monday evening interview with The Daily Memphian.
He called the lawsuit “insulting” and said on behalf of his family, “We’re devastated.”
“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.”
According to Tuohy, the family could not adopt Oher because he was 18 when the attempt to make him a member of the family was made.
He then explained his perspective on how he could help Oher get to college while staying in the good graces of the NCAA.
“Michael was obviously living with us for a long time, and the NCAA didn’t like that,” Tuohy told the outlet. “They said the only way Michael could go to Ole Miss was if he was actually part of the family.”
Tuohy said he explained to Oher at the time that a way he could play for the Rebels would be if they became his conservator.
“‘This would do that, legally,’” he said he told a then-18-year-old Oher.
He added, “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.”
Tuohy also disputed any notion his family welcomed Oher into their home for money. He said he cashed out of the restaurant business and made somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 million, per the report.
“We didn’t make any money off the movie,” Tuohy told the Memphian. “Well, [‘Blind Side’ author] Michael Lewis gave us half of his share.”
Tuohy concluded, “Everybody in the family got an equal share, including Michael. It was about $14,000, each.”
But as far as him, his wife or his children hoping to profit from taking Oher in, Tuohy said it simply isn’t true.
“We were never offered money,” he said. “We never asked for money. My money is well-documented. You can look up how much I sold my company for.”
Tuohy concluded the lawsuit has hurt him deeply.
“I will say it’s upsetting that people would think I would want to make money off any of my children,” the wealthy Ole Miss booster concluded.
