Michael Oher played in the NFL from 2009 to 2017. He went to the Pro Bowl in his second season. He was crucial in the Ravens winning Super Bowl XLVII in 2013. By any account, he had a great NFL career. And yet, I think we can all agree that Michael is still almost exclusively known for being that guy whose troubled teen years were the basis of the Academy Award Best Picture-nominated 2009 film, "The Blind Side" (which was actually based on Michael Lewis' 2006 book "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game").
Anyone who has seen "The Blind Side," which I assume is pretty much everyone since it was a huge hit and seems to always streaming somewhere, will recall that the feel-good movie portrays Michael as a homeless teenager with a drug-addicted mother and an imprisoned father. He wanders the streets of Memphis all night, in torrential downpours, because he has nowhere to sleep. Thankfully, Michael is noticed by a wealthy local husband and wife named Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy whose children attend the same high school as Michael. Sandra Bullock won a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of the polite-but-stubborn-white-savior Leigh Anne. Tim McGraw plays the happy-go-lucky-successful-businessman, Sean Tuohy.
Sean and Leigh Anne take Michael in. They give him not just his first room… but his first BED. They give him a truck. He crashes the truck but saves Sean Jr. from a serious injury by using… his hand strength. Leigh nurtures his football career and boosts his confidence.
Michael chooses to attend their alma mater Ole Miss. He is drafted into the NFL and enjoys the previously-described impressive career… And none of this could have happened without the overwhelming generosity of the Tuohy family. Most importantly to the movie and the story below, they make him part of the family, figuratively and legally.
Well…. as it turns out… there may be more to the story because Michael just blindsided the Tuohys with a legal claim that is an absolute bombshell.
Sean, Michael and Leigh Anne (Photo by Matthew Sharpe/Getty Images)
"Exploited for their own Benefit"
This morning, 37-year-old Michael Oher filed a petition in Shelby County, Tennessee that is filled with shocking claims that completely destroy the narrative portrayed by the film.
First and foremost, Michael claims Sean and Leigh Anne lied about adopting him while making millions off his name.
Michael claims that his relationship with the family began to fall apart soon after the release of the 2009 movie. He was initially upset at being portrayed in the film as unintelligent. His discontent grew over the years as he learned that while his so-called "family" members made millions thanks to generous royalty checks, he didn't make a dime.
Michael's petition dispels the movie's key plot-line. Specifically, the petition claims that the Tuohys were one of several families he would "occasionally" stay with during that period in his life. According to the petition:
"Where other parents of Michael's classmates saw Michael simply as a nice kid in need, Conservators Sean Tuohy and Leigh Anne Tuohy saw something else: a gullible young man whose athletic talent could be exploited for their own benefit…
…Almost immediately after Michael moved in, the Tuohys presented him with what he understood to be legal papers that were a necessary step in the adoption process."
Michael claims he was not actually adopted him in the way that you probably assumed after watching the movie. Instead, he claims that at the age of 18, in 2004, he was tricked into making Sean and Leigh Anne his conservators. They allegedly explained to him that there wasn't a consequential difference between being adopted and entering into a conservatorship.
The conservatorship, which was signed when Michael legally an adult, gave Sean and Leigh Anne "all powers of attorney to act on his behalf" and stated Michael "shall not be allowed to enter into any contracts or bind himself without the direct approval of his conservators."
"Since at least August of 2004, Conservators have allowed Michael, specifically, and the public, generally, to believe that Conservators adopted Michael and have used that untruth to gain financial advantages for themselves and the foundations which they own or which they exercise control. All monies made in said manner should in all conscience and equity be disgorged and paid over to the said ward, Michael Oher."
"Without a Penny Whatsoever"
In their 2010 book, "In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving," Sean and Leigh Anne claimed that all the money made from "The Blind Side" projects was split "five ways." Michael's petition seems to claim that is a complete lie.
Michael's petition claims that before the movie was produced, the Tuohy family struck a deal that paid both Tuohy parents and the two children, Sean Jr. and Collins, $225,000 plus 2.5% of "defined net proceeds" earned off "The Blind Side" at the box office, DVD sales and streaming revenue.
"The Blind Side" generated $330 million at the box office on a budget of $30 million. Based on average film profit breaktouts, one could presume that there were at least $150 million in net proceeds. If that was correct, the four Tuohys each presumably received $225,000 PLUS $3.75 million in royalties over time just on the box office. And that's not including DVD and streaming revenue!
How much has Michael made over the years from the movie that has defined, and somewhat haunted, his life?
Michael's petition claimed that he did not earn anything from the money while the family made millions of dollars. Furthermore Michael claimed the family had him sign a contract in 2007 that gave 20th Century Fox the life rights to his story "without any payment whatsoever."
Michael claims he was too focused on his pending NFL career to understand the implications of what he was signing. He also believed the Tuohys were looking out for his best interests.
Michael did go on to make tens of millions of dollars in the NFL. By the time he retired in 2017 his career earnings totaled $34 million. If the above allegations are true, does that really matter? Shouldn't he have made as much, if not significantly MORE, off a movie that would exist without HIM?
The Tuohys do not appear to have publicly responded to Michael's claims and petition. Michael has not appeared in social media posts with the Tuohys recently. The Tuohys were not photographed when Michael married his college sweetheart in 2002. Unclear if they were invited or not. When his "sister" Collins Tuohy got married in 2016, Michael did walk Leigh Anne down the aisle. FYI: Collins married a guy named Cannon Smith. Cannon's father is Fred Smith, the billionaire founder of FedEx. Cannon's Sister Molly Smith is a movie producer. In 2009 she executive produced a little movie you may have seen called… "The Blind Side."
Sean Tuoy's Response to the Complaint
A day after Michael filed his complaint, Sean gave an interview with the Daily Memphian in which he said Michael's claims "devastated" the family. He also refuted the allegation that The Tuohys made "millions" off "The Blind Side." Specifically he explained:
"We didn't make any money off the movie. Well, Michael Lewis, gave us half of his share. Everybody in the family got an equal share, including Michael. It was about $14,000, each."
Sean further stated that after selling their restaurant franchises for over $200 million, he was offended by the idea the family would want or even need to profit off Michael.
As for why Sean and Leigh Anne opted to be his conservators instead of adopting him, Sean explained:
"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."
