Michael Oher says his reasoning for filing a lawsuit against Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohywasn’t based on financial gain.
In a new interview published by The New York Times Magazine on Sunday, Aug. 18, more than a year after he first filed the lawsuit, the pro athlete whose life inspired The Blind Side, 38, says needing money was not his motivation for suing Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, the couple who took him in during high school. Oher, whose lawsuit resulted in the end of a conservatorship by the Tuohys, alleges they lied about adopting him while making millions off his name.
He has his own money, he told the Times.
“I worked hard for that moment when I was done playing, and saved my money so I could enjoy the time,” he told the NYT. “I’ve got millions of dollars. I’m fine.”
Carolina Panthers tackle Michael Oher.
Ric Tapia via AP)
According to Over the Cap, a site that tracks NFL salaries, the Super Bowl champion earned $34 million from the three NFL teams he played for.
The Blind Side brought in $309.2 million at the box office following its 2009 release and won multiple awards, including Sandra Bullock’s Academy Award and Golden Globe for her portrayal of Tuohy family matriarch Leigh Anne.
Before making it to the big screen, the story began as a book by Michael Lewis — though Oher told the NYT it painted a painful and inaccurate “narrative” of him.
In legal documents previously obtained by PEOPLE, the Tuohys said they agreed to the distribution of the proceeds from The Blind Side book and movie before Oher retired from the NFL.
“The family, including Mr. Oher, came to a verbal agreement to divide the proceeds from the book and the movie revenues evenly. Mr. Oher received and accepted one fifth (1/5) of the total payments through 2016, subsequently, his share has been deposited into an account for the benefit of his son,” the document from March 2024 reads.
Michael Oher visits SiriusXM at SiriusXM Studios on August 09, 2023 in New York City.
Roy Rochlin/Getty
During his in-depth interview with the NYT, Oher allowed that living with the Tuohys in Tennessee was “great” because the wealthy family purchased clothing for him and even hired a tutor so he would be eligible to play college football — among other things.
“I had a bed to stay on. I was eating good. They got me a truck,” he continued.
However, Oher skipped the film’s premiere, conflicted because of how he was “defined” in both the book and drama, which he believed painted him as “dumb.” When he finally did watch the movie about a month later, he said, “It didn’t register.”
Oher said his portrayal in the film made others question his intelligence, and had cost him a higher draft position.
“The NFL people were wondering if I could read a playbook,” he said.
Michael Oher with Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy.
Matthew Sharpe/Getty
“I started seeing stuff that I’m dumb. I’m stupid. Every article about me mentioned The Blind Side, like it was part of my name,” he added of the social media era beginning to bloom.
Oher, who had since married and welcomed children, feared for how his family would be perceived.
“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?’ ” he said.
According to the former football star, he waited more than a decade to file the lawsuit because he was focusing on his career.
“Pro football’s a hard job. You have to be locked in 100 percent,” he said. “I went along with their narrative because I really had to focus on my NFL career, not things off the field.”
The Tuohys previously established a conservatorship over Oher, granting them control over his finances and major life decisions, despite the fact that he had no known disabilities, as is required by Tennessee state law.
The Tuohys claimed in a 2023 filing that they “never signed any contract” on Oher’s behalf since his conservatorship began.
One month after the retired NFL star filed his lawsuit in Shelby County, Tenn. Probate Court in Aug. 2023, Probate Court judge, Kathleen Gomes, dissolved the conservatorship Sean and Leigh Anne established when Oher turned 18.
