Former NFL star offensive lineman Michael Oher has been in the news aplenty this week following reports that he’s suing Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy for “tricking” him into signing a document that made them conservators.
Per ESPN’s Michael A. Fletcher, Oher filed a 14-page petition in Shelby County, Tennessee, which accuses the Tuohy family of tricking him into handing over conservatorship to them so they could make money off of him:
“The 14-page petition, filed in Shelby County, Tennessee, probate court, alleges that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, who took Oher into their home as a high school student, never adopted him. Instead, less than three months after Oher turned 18 in 2004, the petition says, the couple tricked him into signing a document making them his conservators, which gave them legal authority to make business deals in his name.
The petition further alleges that the Tuohys used their power as conservators to strike a deal that paid them and their two birth children millions of dollars in royalties from an Oscar-winning film that earned more than $300 million, while Oher got nothing for a story “that would not have existed without him.” In the years since, the Tuohys have continued calling the 37-year-old Oher their adopted son and have used that assertion to promote their foundation as well as Leigh Anne Tuohy’s work as an author and motivational speaker.”
Oher was a key focus in Michael Lewis’ 2006 book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game. The 2009 blockbuster film, The Blind Side, was based off of Lewis’ book. It starred Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy, Tim McGraw as Sean Tuohy and Quinton Aaron as Oher.
Via Fletcher, it was also noted in the petition that Oher didn’t collect “any payment whatsoever” on the film. However, attorneys for the Tuohys claim that the family members as well as Oher each received $100,000, via Jason Munz of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
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Oher played college football at Ole Miss and was drafted 23rd overall by the Ravens in 2009. He spent his first five NFL seasons with the organization, helping them win a Super Bowl 47 championship in the 2012 season.
Oher went on to play one season for the Tennessee Titans in 2014 before joining the Carolina Panthers, where he spent his final two seasons (2015 and 2016).
