What to Know
- The story of Michael Oher and his adoption by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy was the subject of a 2006 Michael Lewis book and subsequent 2009 Sandra Bullock movie "The Blind Side."
- In a new filing, Oher says the couple did not ever actually formally adopt him, instead placing him under a conservatorship in 2004 that was supposed to last until he was 25 or until it was terminated.
- Oher has asked the court to end the Tuohys' conservatorship and issue an injunction barring them from using his name and likeness.
Former football player Michael Oher, whose apparent adoption out of poverty and rise to the NFL was retold in the 2006 book and subsequent 2009 movie "The Blind Side," is claiming that the Tuohy family never formally adopted him and instead put him unknowingly in a conservatorship used to make millions off his story.
The former NFL offensive lineman petitioned a Tennessee court on Monday alleging that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy fabricated key elements of the story in order to make money, according to documents obtained by NBC News.
Oher was taken into their home as a high school student, but Oher claims that the wealthy couple tricked him into signing a document making them his conservators after he turned 18. In turn, that gave them the legal authority to make business deals using his name -- and still does to this day.
The petition further claims that the Tuohys struck a deal that paid them and their two birth children millions of dollars in royalties from the film starring Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne, which earned over $300 million. All four members of the Tuohy family allegedly received $225,000, plus 2.5% of the film's "defined net proceeds," according to the petition.
Oher received no compensation from the film.
NFL
Oher, 37, asked the court to end the Tuohys' conservatorship and issue an injunction barring them from using his name and likeness -- which they have still been doing to promote their foundation and Leigh Anne's work as an author and motivational speaker.
The situation was reportedly brought to light after an investigation by Oher's lawyer, J. Gerard Stranch IV.
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Stranch reportedly discovered the conservatorship document in February 2023, which was when Oher discovered that he had never been formally adopted, according to the complaint.
The Tuohys allegedly told him that because he was no longer a minor when they began the process while he was living with them in high school, the adoption paperwork was titled a conservatorship, according to the petition.
"At no point did the Tuohys inform Michael that they would have ultimate control of all his contracts, and as a result Michael did not understand that if the Conservatorship was granted, he was signing away his right to contract for himself," the petition said.
A phone call to Sean Tuohy was not immediately returned to NBC News on Monday. The attorney who filed the initial 2004 conservatorship case on behalf of the Tuohys told NBC News he had not yet spoken to the couple about Oher's new filing.
Sean Tuohy Jr., known as SJ, spoke to Barstool Sports about the petition and said that he believes the issues between Oher and the Tuohy family built over time. He alleged that Oher asked for money from the family around 2021.
He added that he'll never say anything negative about Oher.
“I get it, why he’s mad, I understand," SJ Tuohy said. "It stinks that it will play out on the public stage ... that part sucks, but oh well.”
Sean Tuohy Sr. also spoke on the matter in a statement to The Daily Memphian, saying that the family will end the conservatorship if that is what Oher wants.
“We’re devastated,” 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.”
“Michael was obviously living with us for a long time, and the NCAA didn’t like that. 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."
Tuohy denied the claims that Oher didn't make the same amount of money off the movie as the rest of his family did.
“We didn’t make any money off the movie,” Tuohy added. “Well, Michael Lewis (the author of the book ‘The Blind Side’) 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.
"I will say it’s upsetting that people would think I would want to make money off any of my children."
Oher played college football at the University of Mississippi, the Tuohys' alma mater. He was a first-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2009 and played eight seasons in the NFL.
Editor's note: This story was originally published on Aug. 14, 2023. It was updated on Aug. 15, 2023 to include Sean Tuohy's statements.
