'The Blind Side' player claims he was never adopted
Former NFL player, Michael Oher, whose life story was portrayed in the Oscar-winning movie 'The Blind Side' with Sandra Bullock, revealed that he was never adopted by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy; and that they wanted to profit from his life.
Former NFL quarterback Michael Oher, 37, whose story was portrayed in the 2009 film 'The Blind Side' requested a formal termination of his legal tie with the 'adoptive family' in a Tennessee court claiming that he was never adopted.
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Oher alleged that they misled him into giving up his right to make decisions so they could profit from his life.
Oher wants the conservatorship, which started when he was 18, to end as well as the money he claims he was due for from the movie.
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He also requests a court order prohibiting the use of his name and image by Sean Tuohy and Leigh Anne Tuohy.
In an interview with The Daily Memphian, Sean Tuohy said that he had been "devastated" to hear about the lawsuit and that it was "upsetting to think we would make money off any of our children."
Tuohy said that he would be willing to end the conservatorship and that everybody in his family, including Oher, got an equal share of the movie, around $14,000.
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The conservatorship, according to Sean Tuohy, was created to enable Oher to perform at the University of Mississippi, where he and his wife both studied.
In the 2009 film 'The Blind Side,' Oher is portrayed as a struggling teenager raising himself. In the film, Oher is portrayed as a naturally gifted basketball and football player who is discovered by a coach at a nearby private school and ultimately accepted.
Oher, though, seems uneasy about how he was portrayed in the film and what it meant for his professional standing. When he was playing for the Panthers in 2015, Oher stated in an interview that the movie had represented him as less intelligent than he actually was.
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"People look at me and they take things away from me because of a movie," Oher said. "They don't really see the skills and the kind of player I am. That’s why I get downgraded so much, because of something off the field."