Hollywood's Broken Hero: Michael Oher's Battle to Rewrite His 'Blind Side' Story
- IndiaGlitz, [Tuesday,August 15 2023]
A former American football star, whose inspiring journey from poverty to success was turned into an Oscar-winning film, has come forward with allegations that the movie's narrative is built upon falsehoods.
In the 2009 movie The Blind Side, Michael Oher, a foster child from Tennessee, is taken in by a wealthy white couple and rises to become a standout college athlete.
Now 37, Oher claims in a legal filing that he was never legally adopted but was rather coerced into a conservatorship. He alleges that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy profited millions from his story. The Tuohys have not responded to requests for comment.
However, Sean Tuohy denied the allegations and stated that they earned money only from a book by author Michael Lewis, on which the movie was based.
The petition, filed in a Tennessee court, asserts that the Tuohys manipulated Oher into a conservatorship when he turned 18. This legal arrangement handed them control over his financial matters despite his adulthood.
Oher's potential in sports was evident from a young age. Despite growing up in foster care and facing educational challenges, he showed promise, needing support from friends' families.
According to the legal filing, the Tuohys saw an opportunity to exploit Oher's athletic talent. They led him to believe he was being adopted but instead placed him under a conservatorship, a falsehood he only discovered in 2023.
As his life story became a book and a movie, the Tuohys allegedly negotiated deals benefiting themselves and their children, while Oher received nothing.
The lawsuit calls for the conservatorship to be terminated, the Tuohys' profit from Oher's name to cease, and a proper account of owed compensation.
Oher, who played in the NFL for eight seasons, also expressed discontent with the film's portrayal of him. He hopes for privacy and lets the lawsuit speak for itself.