Michael Oher heartbroken over portrayal in 'The Blind Side', slams Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy's narrative

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: Michael Oher expressed frustration with the film 'The Blind Side', claiming it inaccurately portrayed his life by downplaying his intelligence and not reflecting his true character.

The former football star has broken his silence following his lawsuit against Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, which was filed on Wednesday, August 14. Oher alleges that the Tuohys falsely claimed to adopt him when they became his conservators in 2004, granting them legal authority to handle business deals in his name. 

The Tuohys have since acknowledged that their conservatorship was intended to secure Oher’s commitment to playing for Mississippi.

Michael Oher reflects on his time living with a wealthy Memphis family

In an interview with The New York Times Magazine on Sunday, August 18, former NFL player Michael Oher reflected on his time living with the wealthy Memphis-based Tuohy family and discussed the discrepancies between his real-life experience and the portrayal in the 2009 film 'The Blind Side'.

Oher, who first filed his lawsuit over a year ago, recounted how hearing "I love you" from Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy at the age of 18 made him vulnerable. 

"You let your guard down and then you get everything stripped from you. It turns into a hurt feeling," he said. 

Although he acknowledged the comfort and care provided by the Tuohys—who bought him clothes, arranged for a tutor to help him play college football, and supported him in many ways—Oher felt the film, based on a book by Michael Lewis, did not accurately represent him.

Michael Oher expresses disappointment with his portrayal in 'The Blind Side'

Reflecting on the film’s release, which coincided with the start of his NFL career, Oher expressed disappointment, "That’s my heartbreak right there. ... It was as soon as I got there, I was defined." 

He did not attend the premiere but watched the film about a month later, describing his reaction as detached and somewhat humorous. "It’s hard to describe my reaction. It seemed kind of funny to me, to tell you the truth, like it was a comedy about someone else," he told the magazine. 

Oher noted that the film downplayed his intelligence, which led to doubts about his abilities among NFL personnel. 

He recalled seeing derogatory comments on social media, "If my kids can’t do something in class, will their teacher think, ‘Their dad is dumb — is that why they’re not getting it?’"

Oher also clarified that his lawsuit was not motivated by money, despite alleging that the Tuohy family received millions from the film while he received nothing for the rights to his story. He emphasized that he had saved his money from his NFL career and is financially secure. 

He further explained why he waited for a month to file a lawsuit, "Pro football’s a hard job. You have to be locked in 100 percent. I went along with their narrative because I had to focus on my NFL career, not things off the field."

He then quipped, "I want to be the person I was before 'The Blind Side', personality-wise. I'm still working on it."

The lawsuit, which remains ongoing, also led to the dissolution of the conservatorship established by the Tuohys when he turned 18. 

The conservatorship, which gave the Tuohy family control over Oher’s finances and significant life decisions, was deemed unusual by Judge Kathleen Gomes, who noted that she had never encountered a conservatorship agreement with someone who was not disabled in her 43-year career.

Michael Oher's fans find his situation ‘weird’

Following Michael Oher's allegations about his conservatorship and his disappointment with the portrayal in 'The Blind Side', social media users took to Facebook and called the situation "weird".

One social media user wrote, "The Tuohy’s could have had every good intention helping Michael, but in the end after hearing all sides, they were controllers. Yes, they helped Michael but they also made sure they profited dearly from him." 

Another shared, "It’s really weird that they would have established a conservatorship for their 18 year old NOT-son because he was never adopted. So they managed his finances and everything without him having any say on it. That’s extremely weird." 

One individual claimed, "I feel like at the end of the day he wouldn't have anything if they didn't take him off the streets and take care of him. Some people would beg for a chance like that" 

Another added, "Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. My thought is, agree to disagree and move on. In the grand scheme of things, fault is on both sides. At the end of the day, no matter the results or our opinions, it’s simply not our business." 

One person remarked, "Greed that the Tuohy family used this man for look at us! Look at what we did for this man."

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