Tuohy family alleges Michael Oher was paid ‘equal cut of every penny received’ from The Blind Side: Report
Michael Oher and the Tuohy family are embroiled in a legal battle that caught many by surprise. Oher, the former offensive tackle whose life story was told in the 2009 Academy Award-winning movie 'The Blind Side', recently claimed that he never received any money from the movie and that the Tuohy family lied to him about his adoption, instead becoming his conservators to use his image, likeness and name.
But the family insists that's not the case and that Oher's accusations are not true. According to their lawyer, Martin D. Singer, the Tuohy family divided the money earned from the movie equally between all parties of the family, in a statement to the Los Angeles Times issued the previous week:
“They insisted that any money received be divided equally. And they have made good on that pledge,” Singer insisted. "The evidence — documented in profit participation checks and studio accounting statements — is clear: Over the years, the Tuohys have given Mr. Oher an equal cut of every penny received from ‘The Blind Side.’”
Michael Oher claims the Tuohy family lied, never legally adopted him
According to the former offensive tackle, who was a first-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, a central part of his famous story is a lie: he was never adopted by the Tuohy family.
A week ago, Michael Oher petitioned a Tennessee court stating that he was never officially adopted by the family, instead signing a document that put the Tuohys as their conservators, legally allowing them to make business deals in his name but not making him officially part of the family.
The petition also states that, while the two legal sons of Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy made millions of dollars in royalties from the movie, Oher never received a penny. His current net worth is $12 million.
The Tuohy family had him playing college football at Ole Miss before moving on to the NFL, where he played for eight seasons. After leaving the Ravens, Michael Oher had stints with the Tennessee Titans and the Carolina Panthers before retiring prior to the 2017 season.