Michael Oher stands with Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy prior to a game on November 28th, 2008, in Oxford, Mississippi. Photograph: Matthew Sharpe/Getty ImagesMichael Oher, the former NFL player who was the subject of the tale of adoption and athletic triumph documented in The Blind Side, has alleged that the story at the heart of the popular book and movie was a lie.
Oher’s petition claims that as conservators, the Tuohys were able to sign deals that earned them and their two birth children millions of dollars but excluded Oher from any of the income. Oher says the family earned millions in royalties from The Blind Side, which took more than $300 million at the box office; but he got nothing for the story “that would not have existed without him”.
Oher’s petition seeks an end to the Tuohys’ conservatorship and to stop the family from using his name and image to promote their work. He is also seeking financial compensation. In a 2010 book, the Tuohys say they earned a flat fee rather than royalties from The Blind Side and shared the money with Oher. “We divided it five ways,” they wrote in their book, In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving.